Visiting US Neurosurgeon helps thinking outside the Square
Professor Susan Cheng, professor in residence and vice Chair of Neurological Surgery, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, USA gave a wonderful presentation to a Brain Tumor Forum, at Cancer Council Queensland, August 11, 2012, sponsored by Brain Tumor Alliance Australia. with Mat Pitt, chair BTAA, as program coordinator for the Forum.
Susan held the attention of an audience made up of over 80 Brain Tumor support group members, cancer treatment medical staff from Brisbane hospitals, and joined other Australian Neurosurgeons and Oncologists and Radiation specialists in a group discussion, taking questions from attending floor members.
Susan pointed out the changes and thinking outside the square now taking place in Cancer Treatment Centers, where even more interest is being shown in the value of Carers, who play such an important role in looking after and monitoring their patients.
The UCSF Cancer Center has for sometime now placed a higher value on the role of Carer, to the point that Group meetings of Carers have unearthed some problems in their caring paths, that have been fed back into the system of care for cancer patients.  To this point, the Carer is now seen as a much more valuable part of the recovery process of the patient.  Working with the another 'relatively new direction of Critical Nurses', it seems problems can be picked up far in advance of it becoming a problem, that due to time elements and communication delays, can be corrected before any damage is recognised.
Professor Susan Cheng's visit will be remembered for instilling in us that while there is much more to explored  in finding a cure for cancer, there are times when we should stop and take stock on what can be done, or reviewed, to improve the patient's care and attention. Geoff