Final answer:
Both physicians and advanced practice nurses can discuss Survivorship Care Plans (SCP) with the patient. These plans involve a team approach to continuous care post-cancer treatment, where both roles are essential for different reasons. Physicians and nurses might view their roles and contributions to SCPs differently due to their positions in the medical authority hierarchy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individuals who can discuss the Survivorship Care Plans (SCP) with the patient are both physicians and advanced practice nurses. SCPs are detailed outlines of a patient’s cancer treatment and recommendations for follow-up care, which are meant to ensure continuity of care after cancer treatment is completed. It is important for both physicians and advanced practice nurses to be involved in the discussion of SCPs because they play complementary roles in the patient’s care. Physicians are often responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, and overall direction of a patient’s medical care, while advanced practice nurses may provide day-to-day management and education, helping to implement the SCP, addressing the patient’s concerns, and ensuring adherence to follow-up care.
In terms of the authority hierarchy in a medical setting, physicians generally hold more formal authority than nurses, which can affect their perspectives on the use of checklists and care plans. Physicians may be more focused on the technical aspects and complexities of treatment while nurses might prioritize the practicalities of patient care and education. The problem of ensuring effective post-treatment care is complex due to the individual needs of each patient and simple in that a structured approach can greatly enhance care continuity. Similarly, the solutions proposed, such as the SCP, are simple in that they provide a clear framework but complex since they must be personalized to each patient’s medical history and future health risks.