Michelle Kirschner is the director of Program Development at the Cancer Survivorship Provider Network, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she focuses on supportive care and long-term patient empowerment.

Michelle Kirschner 

Patients can prepare personal overviews to help care teams connect with them as individuals, explained Michelle Kirschner in an interview with CURE.

How to Prepare for Self-Advocacy After a Cancer Diagnosis

Patients should consider creating personal overviews to help care teams see them as individuals, explained Michelle Kirschner.

In an interview with CURE, Kirschner noted that while advocacy is important, not everyone feels comfortable speaking up for themselves. In those cases, it can help to bring someone who can provide support during appointments.

She recommended preparing a personal overview — a short summary of what matters most to the patient — to help the care team understand the patient beyond their diagnosis. Adding this to the medical chart allows providers to connect with the patient as a person, not just as someone receiving treatment.

Kirschner is the director of Program Development at the Cancer Survivorship Provider Network, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she focuses on supportive care and long-term patient empowerment.

How can patients advocate for themselves to get the best care during treatment and beyond?

I think this idea of advocacy is really important, but not everyone is a born advocate. If you are, then knowing what to advocate for is key. But if you don’t feel like you can be your own advocate, it’s important to find someone who can come alongside you.

When you go to visits, come prepared with a few things. First, you want your care team to know who you are as a person. One thing I used to do with my patients was help them create a personal overview — a summary of who they are and what’s important to them. For example, you might write, “I value being an athlete. I value friendships. I love nature.” It should be something that truly expresses who you are, and you can have that added to your chart. That way, when your doctors and care team read your chart, they see a human being, not just a patient.

It’s always important to help your care team understand you as more than just the patient. You also need to be clear about your needs before your visits. That means writing things down and not assuming your care team will ask about everything that matters to you. A good example is sexual health. We know that very few providers bring it up, but it’s an important topic for many patients. Right now, your care team will probably help if you tell them what you need, but you might have to start those conversations yourself.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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Patients can prepare for self-advocacy by bringing personal overviews to help care teams connect with them as individuals, explained Michelle Kirschner.

Michelle Kirschner discusses the how patients can foster a strong network of supporters from diagnosis through survivorship.

You Are Not Alone While Building a Support Team During Cancer Care 

Both a professional healthcare team, as well as a group of personal supporters can help build a strong support network for patients who are undergoing cancer care, according to Michelle Kirschner, a registered nurse practitioner.

She goes on to explain that both of these groups help provide a more rounded approach to care, as personal supporters can offer emotional, practical, and informational help, while a strong professional healthcare team provides unwavering care. TO further discuss this topic, she sat down for an interview with CURE, where she also highlighted the importance of open communication between patients and their primary care partner.

can patients build a strong network of support from diagnosis through survivorship?

Part of effective cancer care involves starting a conversation with the individual who has cancer themselves and understanding their existing network. I like to talk about having a "co-pilot" and a "crew." Your co-pilot is your professional healthcare team, who will be responsible for making recommendations. However, you can't fly a plane without a crew, and that's where your personal support system comes in.

You might have one person who excels at gathering information, someone who's really good at finding things. There might be another person who's simply excellent at calming you down—you love being with them because they're fun, and your stress just melts away. So, the key is to build a diverse network of individuals who are truly there for you.

Obviously, we also want to support your main individual, what we call your care partner. This could be your spouse or simply a very important person in your life. How do we support that relationship? How do we foster communication that's truly beneficial? Much of this involves discussing what's important to you in life, what constitutes a good day for you, and what success in treatment looks like.

Promoting this kind of open communication will strengthen your relationships and, again, help you think about building that diverse team of individuals around you.

Michelle Kirschner discusses the how patients can foster a strong network of supporters from diagnosis through survivorship.


Michelle Kirschner

How to Prepare for Self-Advocacy After a Cancer Diagnosis

You Are Not Alone While Building a Support Team During Cancer Care

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