Page 24 - UHN Year In Review 2014-15: Patients As Partners In Care

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Focus on the person, not the tumour

Odette Young, Patient Flow Coordinator at the Princess Margaret and Bruce Campbell, volunteer,
help patients fill out DART assessments before every clinic visit. (Photo: UHN)

Bruce Campbell understands the Dr. Madeline Li, developer of DART their appointment begins.
emotional burden tied to three life- and Staff Psychiatrist at the Princess Personalized reports are created in
changing words: you have cancer. Margaret. real time and reviewed by health care
As a prostate cancer survivor turned professionals in clinic.
volunteer, Bruce helps patients at the “We want to focus on the person, not
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre fill the tumour.” “If we screen for symptoms and start
out the Distress Assessment and talking early enough, we can provide
Response Tool (DART), a short, self- Patients may be distressed about patients with the right care, at the
assessment measuring patients’ topics they’re embarrassed about or right time, by the right professional,”
emotional well-being, physical afraid to discuss, including: financial says Alyssa Macedo, Program Lead,
symptoms, and psychosocial needs. issues, sexual symptoms, depression DART.
and fear of dying.
“DART is the ultimate personalized Without a standardized assessment
cancer medicine tool and example of All cancer patients who have a clinic in place, health care providers can
person-centered care,” says visit at the Princess Margaret miss up to 70 per cent of distressed
complete DART screening before

24 Patients as Partners in Care