Making the best of multidisciplinary care for patients with malignant fungating wounds: A qualitative study of clinicians’ narratives

This episode features Jeanna Qiu (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA).

Maintaining quality of life for patients with malignant fungating wounds requires collaboration of diverse healthcare specialties, from oncology and palliative care to wound care. Research has explored the experiences of patients with malignant fungating wounds and the nurses who treat them. It is essential to understand the experiences and perceived roles of clinicians from different specialties and disciplines who treat patients with malignant fungating wounds

Different clinical specialties assumed the leading role at different points of the clinical care timeline with medical oncology prominent throughout care. Identifies the points in time when collaboration between specialties is essential, when communication fails, or when clinicians from different specialties have differing perspectives and experiences.

Wound care and medical oncology must collaborate effectively to ensure accurate assessment of the progression of the wound and cancer. Palliative care and oncology must partner effectively to ensure patients’ quality of life and when to stop curative treatment. Strategies like joint visits or strengthening the professional relationships across specialties such that palliative care and oncology clinicians can have open conversations about patients may help to reduce the prevalence of conflicting messages to patients.