Communication Concerns When Transitioning to Cancer Survivorship Care.

OBJECTIVES: To discuss communication needs that relate to transitioning care for cancer survivors and strategies to facilitate patient-centered communication.

DATA SOURCES: National Cancer Institute monograph and peer reviewed articles related to survivorship and communication.

CONCLUSION: Key communication tasks in survivorship include managing uncertainty, exchanging information, and enabling self-management. These tasks inform assessment strategies and interventions in survivorship care planning. Communication training must target survivors and providers given the reciprocal and interactive nature of communication.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Implications for Nursing Practice: Nurses need to evaluate survivors' concerns and incorporate communication strategies in survivorship care planning to reduce distress and facilitate the exchange of information to improve referrals to supportive care resources.