Carrie Stricker on the Efficacy of Survivorship Care Plans

Carrie Stricker, PhD, RN, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses preliminary data from a pilot study that examined the efficacy of survivorship care plan delivery for post-treatment breast cancer survivors.

The study found that supportive care referrals increased substantially when a survivorship care plan was provided that contained a summary of the treatment provided and a roadmap of what to expect in the future. The majority of the referrals that resulted focused on exercise, physical therapy, and psychosocial needs. Stricker is optimistic that the added supportive care referrals will also result in better outcomes.

Stricker believes the positive results from this preliminary pilot study warrant a larger randomized trial to further examine the efficacy of survivorship care plans and their possible connection to improved outcomes.