Immunotherapy & Me

As usage and indications for immunotherapy increase, there presents a critical need to identify patient-centered and practice solutions across the continuum of care. Immunotherapy \& Me is an innovative program of customizable resources that seeks to improve the patient experience by supporting the unique needs of both immunotherapy patients and the clinical staff who care for them. The Cancer Support Community (CSC) will implement this operational framework of patient and provider tools at multiple geographically and demographically diverse oncology practices. The program will include CancerSupportSource® (CSS), a self-administered screening instrument for individuals with cancer that takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and has been validated in 300 English-speaking cancer survivors at CSC affiliates nationwide.The instrument consists of cancer-related problems (physical, social, psychological, emotional and practical) and has been demonstrated to have good internal consistency reliability. Patients are asked to rate the severity of their concerns and if they would like to talk with a staff person and/or receive additional information about their concerns. This information is used to address immediate concerns as well as to develop ongoing educational experiences that are tailored and integrated with their care. At the end of year one, CSC will evaluate program impact, retool interventions as necessary, and pursue additional funding with the goal of extending services at existing practice sites - and scaling this turnkey model of immunotherapy treatment support.