Dilemmas and Decision Making in Cancer Care

This book presents realistic cancer-related clinical dilemmas and provides guidance on how to assess options and make ethical decisions. The provided case studies explore how decisions are made in ethically and sometimes morally challenging situations in practice. Approaches to care delivery focus on the perspective of the individual in terms of their practical, social, psychological, and emotional needs. Considerations are integrated with a range of solutions-focused perspectives to allow readers to discuss clinical dilemmas in a safe space while applying and expanding their professional knowledge. This book provides an invaluable resource for any healthcare student, clinical supervisor, academic educator, and anybody working within the cancer setting.

Julia Hubbard is a Professor of Clinical Health Education at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and a highly experienced academic, having worked in university-level healthcare education since 1993. During this time, she has been involved in curriculum development and course delivery across a range of healthcare professions, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, both nationally and internationally. Her current role as Department Head, Midwifery, Nursing and Nurse Apprenticeships, UEA, involves managing a large academic team who deliver a wide range of NMC-approved pre-registration programmes. She is also the Director of International Partnerships for the School of Health Sciences, UEA, supporting student travel abroad and fostering working and research partnerships with Health Science Schools across the globe. Sarah Housden is an occupational therapist by background, now working as an Associate Professor in Health Sciences at the UEA. She has worked in healthcare and healthcare education for much of the past 30 years. This work has been in diverse contexts, including hospital, community, and social care settings, which have provided opportunities to meet and work alongside people living with a wide range of health conditions and social situations. Each of these people had a fascinating story to tell about their life experiences and achievements, often including journeys through cancer treatment and recovery. Sarah's passion as an educator is to promote healthcare provision which supports people to flourish, whatever their diagnosis or prognosis, so that patients' experiences in navigating choices and concerns around potential interventions and illness trajectories are as positive as possible.

About the Contributors , Introduction, Case Study 1. Sylvia: Beyond Labels , Case Study 2. Sandra: Mother Knows Best... Or Does She? , Case Study 3. Ravi: A Time to Dialyse and a Time to Die. , Case Study 4. Claire: Am I Going to Die? , Case Study 5. Lily: In Whose Best Interests? , Case Study 6. Erica: A Blessing or a Curse?, Case Study 7. Michelle: Adjusting to Bodily Change., Case Study 8. Jack: Living with the All-Clear., Case Study 9. Aakifah: What's In a Name? , Case Study 10. Antony: On the Face of It., Case Study 11. Paul: A Fearful Decision, Case Study 12. Priya: What a Relief! , Case Study 13. Becky: Moving Forward., Case Study 14. Will: It is Hard to Say Much., Case Study 15. Ben: When Options Run Out. , Case Study 16. Gareth: Until We Meet Again? , Case Study 17. Zach: My Voice, My Choice, Case Study 18. Joan: Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? , Conclusion