Patient Information for clinical use

People affected by cancer need information that is timely and relevant, and easy to understand in order for to them to make informed decisions.

Helping patients have access to high quality, timely and relevant information can play a particular role in ensuring that they have a positive experience of their treatment and care.

(Improving Outcomes for Cancer Strategy, DH, 2010)

Essential components of information provision include:

• Assessing your patient's information needs
• Offering appropriate information
• Recording what information has been provided (on the Somerset System)

The process should be continual and the idea is that patients receive smaller, more relevent information when they need it.  The following pages are provided to support the provision of high quality, timely information in line with the themes set out in Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, and cover the following topics:

• About Patient Information Prescriptions
• Links to the non tumour specific information pathways
• Links to the information pathways for each MDT