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Nutrition

Proactive nutrition care is pivotal to drive quality for the patient experience.

There is increasing understanding of the important role nutrition services can play in optimizing care for patients with cancer both during and after treatment. In 2017 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) published proceedings of its 2016 workshop Examining Access to Nutrition Care in Outpatient Cancer Centers. Access the proceedings.

Below are ACCC member-driven resources that support and share "how to's" for integration of nutrition services in all cancer care settings.

 

From Oncology Issues

  • Improving Cancer Care Teamwork
    Elizabeth H. Lazzara, Joseph R. Keebler, Logan M. Gisick, Kimberly N. Williams, Stephanie Zajac, and Jillian Gunther
    The absence of an optimal cancer care coordination model coupled with the vast network of providers involved in cancer care, necessitates the implementation of key strategies to strengthen care coordination.
  • Living Well After Cancer
    By Gabrielle Riazi, Mike Alpert, Sarah Flores, Danielle Kline, Haley Allen, Aditi Vyas, Denise Johnson, and Jessica Clague DeHart
    This pilot study aimed to determine the efficacy of a community-based wellness program offered to patients outside of the clinical setting.
  • Views: Philanthropy Funding Oncology Supportive Care Services
    By Jamie Arens, MSW, CSW-PIP
    Philanthropy is a way to start supportive care programs and other needed services.
  • Development of a Virtual Integrative Oncology Center
    Alissa Huston, MD
    Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilmot Cancer Institute's integrative oncology team shares how integrative oncology-based services can be delivered via telehealth.
  • Rapid Practice Change During COVID-19 Leads to Enduring Innovations and Expansion of Integrative Oncology Services
    Danielle Gentile, PhD, et al.
    This cancer program continues to meet patients’ psychosocial needs through enduring telehealth expansion, livestream groups and classes, and on-demand digital repositories.
  • Compliance: Behavior Health Assessment and Intervention for Oncology Patients
  • Key Areas of Interest Going Into 2021
    Randall A. Oyer, MD
    With the enormous pressures of COVID-19, the ever-increasing complexity of oncology care, and the persistent social factors that lead to medical injustice, it is difficult to think about tackling even one more job. Yet, we must, we can, and we do. Today I want to mention four specific areas that all cancer programs need to be watching, thinking about, and preparing for.
  • Empowering Cancer Patients Using Integrative Medicine: A Novel Model for Breast Cancer Risk Modification
    Christina M. Bowen, MD; Robin Hearne, MS, RN; Caroline Dixon; and Charles H. Shelton, MD
    As a CoC-accredited critical access hospital—one of only about a dozen nationwide—The Outter Banks Hospital has developed a quality program with a focus on removing rurally linked barriers to care.
  • Improving Cancer Care by Addressing Food Insecurity
    Tracey F. Weisberg, MD
    Our results indicated that food insecure patients tended to complete fewer months of treatment than their food secure counterparts. Food insecure patients who refused assistance had the lowest number of months of completed treatment; most food insecure patients who received assistance completed more of their treatment.
  • "Prescribing" Exercise and Nutrition in Cancer Care
    Jessica Clague DeHart, PhD, MPH, et al.
    As more evidence is showing, all the activities encompassed under the wellness umbrella can be applied to cancer prevention and the cancer care continuum.
  • Making the Business Case for Hiring a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
    Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RDN, et al.
    Nutrition plays a critical role in cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship, and the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is an integral member of the multidisciplinary cancer care team.
  • Guided Patient Support: Helping Patients Navigate the Clinical, Psychosocial, and Financial Aspects of Cancer Care
    Jessica Sima, MSN, RN, ACM, et al.
    This innovative program provides coordinated whole-person care, ensuring that patients receive the support they need through psychosocial counseling, social support, rehabilitation services, financial counseling, nurse navigation, nutritional intervention, transportation assistance, physical therapy, tertiary care referrals, and medication assistance. The GPS approach helps the cancer care team proactively identify patient needs and prepare patients for treatment.
  • Supporting Cancer Survivors in Making Healthful Lifestyle Changes
    Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD, et al.
    Evidence-based diet and exercise interventions and programs that can improve cancer survivors’ quality of life and physical and mental health.
  • Geriatric Assessment, Multidisciplinary Model is Focus of FITNESS Study in Older Adults
    Amy Hindman
    The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute’s Cancer and Aging Resilience (CARE) Clinic goes beyond reviewing cancer-specific treatment. This new care model pairs patients with a multidisciplinary team to assess patients for balance, cognition, nutrition, symptom management, and many more—all in one visit.
  • Virtual Care After Treatment: How Telemedicine Can Expand Survivorship Programs
    Holly Bushart, MSN, ACNP-BC, AOCNP, et al.
    Though the importance of post-cancer care is widely acknowledged, cancer programs and practices continue to struggle with the optimal approach for conducting dedicated survivorship visits. As a result, many patients still go without survivorship care. Telemedicine—which has increased access to care in numerous specialties—may offer one solution to these challenges
  • Development of Care Pathways to Standardize and Optimally Integrate Multidisciplinary Care for Head and Neck Cancer
    Assuntina G. Sacco, Charles S. Coffey, Parag Sanghvi, Gloria P. Rubio, et al.
    The complexity of head and neck cancer management demands greater attention in order to provide high-quality care. UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center developed a well-defined care pathway to enable predictability and consistency in both care delivery and cost.
  • A Quality Improvement Nutrition Program
    This QI project used a screening tool to capture all oncology patients at risk for malnutrition and developed strategies to reduce or eliminate financial barriers for patients needing nutrition services.
  • Cancer Nutrition Services: A Practical Guide for Cancer Programs
    Read an overview of role of cancer nutrition and its role in today’s community cancer programs. Plus, descriptions of how comprehensive nutrition services are being delivered at ACCC-member cancer programs of difference sizes.
  • Closing a Gap in Cancer Care
    By Jan Akervall, MD, PhD; Jan Parslow, RN, MS, CCRP, OCN; Erin Maxon, MS, RD, CNSC; Nathan Tonlaar, MD; and Thomas Lanni Jr., MBA, FACE
    By implementing a weekly outpatient nutrition clinic for patients with head and neck cancer, this 2014 ACCC Innovator Award winner improved patient quality of life and reduced the cost of care.
  • Nutrition: The 7th Vital Sign
    Learn about the new “adequate nutrition” model that integrates systematic malnutrition screening of all oncology patients across their treatment, incorporating a validated malnutrition screening tool as the 7th vital sign.
  • That's My Farmer: A Research-Based Nutrition & Wellness Program
    Abigail Muniz, RDN, LD; Athena Nofziger, RDN, LD, CHC; Jean E. Schumer, PhD, LCSW; and Maisa Athamneh
    That’s My Farmer is a research-based nutrition and wellness program designed to educate cancer survivors through hands-on learning.
  • Telehealth: Connecting Patients with Nutrition Services
    Nicole Esco, MPA, RD, LDN
    Through use of telehealth technology, patients at Baton Rouge General Medical Pennington Cancer Center’s three clinic locations have seamless access to nutrition services. 2016 ACCC Innovator Award recipient.
  • Views: The Healthy Forks Survivorship Series: Fighting Cancer One Fork at a Time
    Jennifer Fitzgibbon, MS, RD, CSO, CDN
    Stony Brook Cancer Center created a nutritional program for cancer survivors and their families with the aim of providing resources to help understand the necessity of providing health meals at a reasonable cost, while incorporating stress reduction and physical activity in support of a health lifestyle.
  • Prehab Improves Outcomes for Oncology Patients
    Messina Corder, MBA, BSN, RN, and Kathryn Duval, MS, CCC-SLP
    A focused prehabilitation (prehab) program couples physical therapy with holistic care that includes nutritional support, stress reduction strategies, and nurse navigator intervention. Integrating prehabilitation can not only improve patient outcomes post-surgery, it can also decrease hospital length of stay (LOS).

Cancer Buzz Podcasts

From the ACCCBuzz Blog