Team Leadership and Cancer End-of-Life Decision Making

Author: Julie M. Waldfogel, PharmD, Dena J. Battle, Michael Rosen, PhD, Louise Knight, MSW, Catherine B. Saiki, MSN, Suzannne A. Nesbit, PharmD, Rhonda S. Cooper, MDiv, Ilene S. Browner, MD, Laura H. Hoofring, MSN, Lynn S. Billing, RN, BSN and Sydney M. Dy, MD, MSc

Journal of Oncology Practice. September 6, 2016: JOPR013862.

http://jop.ascopubs.org/content/early/2016/09/02/JOP.2016.013862.full

Abstract
End-of-life decision making in cancer can be a complicated process. Patients and families encounter multiple providers throughout their cancer care. When the efforts of these providers are not well coordinated in teams, opportunities for high-quality, longitudinal goals of care discussions can be missed. This article reviews the case of a 55-year-old man with lung cancer, illustrating the barriers and missed opportunities for end-of-life decision making in his care through the lens of team leadership, a key principle in the science of teams. The challenges demonstrated in this case reflect the importance of the four functions of team leadership: information search and structuring, information use in problem solving, managing personnel resources, and managing material resources. Engaging in shared leadership of these four functions can help care providers improve their interactions with patients and families concerning end-of-life care decision making. This shared leadership can also produce a cohesive care plan that benefits from the expertise of the range of available providers while reflecting patient needs and preferences. Clinicians and researchers should consider the roles of team leadership functions and shared leadership in improving patient care when developing and studying models of cancer care delivery.

To Friend or Not to Friend: The Use of Social Media in Clinical Oncology

Author: Lori Wiener, PhD, Caroline Crum, MPH, Christine Grady, PhD and Melinda Merchant, MD, PhD

Journal of Oncology Practice. December 27, 2011: JOPR013862.

http://jop.ascopubs.org/content/8/2/103.abstract?sid=c248670d-d218-4861-a80e-18b10da1cc40

Abstract
Online social networking has replaced more traditional methods of personal and professional communication in many segments of society today. The wide reach and immediacy of social media facilitate dissemination of knowledge in advocacy and cancer education, but the usefulness of social media in personal relationships between patients and providers is still unclear. Although professional guidelines regarding e-mail communication may be relevant to social media, the inherent openness in social networks creates potential boundary and privacy issues in the provider-patient context. This commentary seeks to increase provider awareness of unique issues and challenges raised by the integration of social networking into oncology communications.

Dr. Usnsa tedn

Hint: A Medical Oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She obtained her MD at McMaster University and completed her postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She continued her training in Medical Oncology in Ottawa, followed by a fellowship year in Clinical Research with the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group.

Everyone’s practice is different, Oncologist in the Hot seat aims to provide insight into other esteemed Canadian oncologists regarding work-life balance, leadership, mentorship, or career development. The first oncologist that we featured practices in British Columbia. Since then we have been working our way across Canada, featuring oncologists from each province in the country. Our next stop is the province of Québec. From Québec, we are very pleased to introduce Dr. JF Boileau and Dr. Julie Lemieaux.

Dr. JF Boileau

Dr. Boileau is a surgical oncologist and clinician scientist at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at McGill University. He has worked as staff surgeon at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montreal (CHUM) and at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto before transferring to his current position.

Dr. Julie Lemieux

Dr. Julie Lemieux is a hematologist and Medical Oncologist at the CHU de Québec. She is a member of the Centre des maladies du sein Deschênes-Fabia. She is a clinician-researcher at the Research centre of the CHU de Québec. She obtained her MD at Université Laval and completed a Fellowship in breast cancer at Mount Sinai Hospital and obtained a Master in clinical epidemiology at the University of Toronto. She works at the CHU de Québec since 2006.

Send your great questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to have them answered by our esteemed Oncologists in the Hot Seat!

The Best of Lung Cancer Summit
October 21, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario

World Cancer Congress 2016
October 31-November 3, 2016 in Paris, France

Synergy 2016: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Interventional Oncology
November 3-6, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida

Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy
February 27-28, 2017 in New York, United States

As networking and mentorship are invaluable to medicine and advancements in the field of oncology, All in Cancer (AlinC) and Women in Cancer (WinC) were developed to improve mentorship connections, provide leadership skills resources, and improve collaboration amongst oncologists through a secure online networking platform.

Join the discussion on the AlinC or WinC Discussion Forum today.

Encourage your colleagues to join the largest online networking forum for medical, radiation, surgical, and hematological oncologists and trainees in Canada.

Visit www.allincancer.org or womenincancer.org for more information.

Happy networking!
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