Paul Jacobsen Discusses Survivorship Care Plans

Paul B. Jacobsen, PhD, professor of psychology, University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, discusses the development and research currently taking place in cancer survivorship.

The most substantial development in survivorship research has been the Institute of Medicine's recommendation to provide treatment summaries and survivorship care plans to patients completing their primary treatments for cancer. These plans reflect the treatment received and address post-treatment needs and questions, in order to improve the survivor’s health and quality of life.

Various groups are currently in the process of implementing these recommendations. Jacobsen believes that in the next five years there will be a substantial uptake in the number of routine assessments taking place that address quality of life concerns for cancer survivors.