10 Things Oncologists Think Hospitalists Need to Know
10 Things Oncologists Think Hospitalists Need to Know
This includes the subtleties of the patient history, which can be quite involved, says Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, FACP, deputy director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and chair of hematology and medical oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
"Part of that history may be obtained from the patient and the patient's family, but if the treatment has been evolving over time, you need to get in touch with the treating physician or at least have access to the records of the patient's treatment," he says. "The arsenal of drugs that we use against cancer has expanded dramatically and in different directions. Now we have tremendous technological innovations with very focused radiation or very refined surgery, and not just novel chemotherapy but also targeted therapies that can target a specific Achilles heel of cancer."
Basically, it is important for hospitalists to know exactly "what you are dealing with."
"That's a lot of information that the hospitalist needs to know. Whom do I contact? Whom do I need to access, not just on the web, but in person, to understand what this patient is going through?" he adds.
With many patients, time is of the essence. This is part of the reason why it's so important to get a complete history and full picture of a patient's treatment right away, Dr. Khuri says.
"The patient with cancer often presents in worse shape than patients with other diseases," he says. "Therefore, with patients with cancer or patients with other really lifethreatening illness, you generally have less time to figure out what is going on."
1. Know the History
This includes the subtleties of the patient history, which can be quite involved, says Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, FACP, deputy director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and chair of hematology and medical oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
"Part of that history may be obtained from the patient and the patient's family, but if the treatment has been evolving over time, you need to get in touch with the treating physician or at least have access to the records of the patient's treatment," he says. "The arsenal of drugs that we use against cancer has expanded dramatically and in different directions. Now we have tremendous technological innovations with very focused radiation or very refined surgery, and not just novel chemotherapy but also targeted therapies that can target a specific Achilles heel of cancer."
Basically, it is important for hospitalists to know exactly "what you are dealing with."
"That's a lot of information that the hospitalist needs to know. Whom do I contact? Whom do I need to access, not just on the web, but in person, to understand what this patient is going through?" he adds.
With many patients, time is of the essence. This is part of the reason why it's so important to get a complete history and full picture of a patient's treatment right away, Dr. Khuri says.
"The patient with cancer often presents in worse shape than patients with other diseases," he says. "Therefore, with patients with cancer or patients with other really lifethreatening illness, you generally have less time to figure out what is going on."
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