Our team approach to patient care ensures that our patients receives effective 24hr/day, 365-day/year care.
The staff of the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program believes in a team approach to patient care. We also believe that the patient and family are a very important part of the team. Your contribution to the plan of care is extremely important and valuable. For this reason, we welcome questions and suggestions, and hope that you and your family will feel comfortable about communicating openly with us.
On the T15 BMT Inpatient Unit
When patients are admitted to the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Inpatient Unit they are assigned both an Attending Staff Physician and a Fellow, who is a highly skilled specialist-in-training.
Every two weeks, the Attending Physician and the Fellow on the Inpatient Unit will rotate to a different assignment. It is possible and, in fact, likely that you will be cared for by more than one Fellow and more than one Attending Physician during your hospital stay.
This means each patient will have a primary physician who oversees the big picture and will perform your long term follow up. However, while you are on the Inpatient Unit, you will be mainly cared for by the Attending Staff Physician and the Fellow who is on the rotation for that month/weekend/holiday. This team approach is the best way to provide effective 24hr/day, 365-day/year care.
As you can imagine, ongoing communication between the various health care team members is key to your healthcare. All of the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant physicians meet regularly to discuss patients’ current issues. These meetings ensure that all patients’ needs and concerns are attended to, and that all patients receive the best available and consistent care. Team rounds, patient care conferences, and patient/family meetings are our formal approaches to discussing patients and their plan of care:
- There are multiple scheduled team meetings during the week where patients’ progress may be discussed.
- Patient care conferences occur between the patient’s primary physician and the current Attending Physicians and Fellows. These meetings focus on significant management issues or questions about the prior history of the patient. Typically these meetings occur in the physicians’ offices or on the units.
- Although patients and family members have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns with their nurses and physicians on a one-on-one basis each day, sometimes it is helpful to arrange a patient/family meeting with the health care team as a group.
On the LB6 BMT Daycare Outpatient Unit
The communication process in the Outpatient BMT Daycare Unit is similar. The BMT Daycare Unit has two physicians who oversee the care of the patients in the Outpatient Unit and are assisted by the Clinical Associates and Fellow assigned for the month. The doctors work for 1 to 2 months in the BMT Daycare Unit. The Clinical Associates work permanently on the Unit. Patients are assessed and the care is discussed with the physicians and the nurses on a daily basis.
Your Role on the Team
You are an essential part of the team. You will have the most vital role to play in your care and recovery. As you know yourself best, we depend on you to report how you are feeling and how the treatment and other factors are affecting you. Please communicate with us so we can work together!
It is important to be as prepared as possible for meetings with your physician. Some patients find that writing down questions in advance is helpful. Other patients suggest bringing a friend or family member with you to your appointment – this person can take notes if you find that helpful.
We also expect to have your input and cooperation in your treatment and recovery. We encourage you to keep some sense of independence and control over your own care as much as possible.
