Mentorship Update

These are the forms that the receptionists and the surgery scheduler use for the patients when they first check in, or when they are in need of a surgery. The first form is completed by the receptionists when the patient is checking in, and it is then given to the either to HNS (Head and Neck Surgery), Speech, or Audiology. It is then taken by the appropriate department so the patient can receive the proper care. It is used by the nurses, doctors, audiologists, etc. to see what the patient came in for, and they receive the best care possible.








This form is used by the surgery scheduler of the department, who is in charge of scheduling the surgeries for ALL the head and neck surgery doctors! This form is inside the surgery packet (pictures are up on an earlier blog post) and it contains the necessary information for the patient to schedule their surgery. The surgery scheduler discussed the importance of patients scheduling their surgery on time, and she also mentioned that everything has to be correct, and to the doctor's orders. Sometimes, a doctor might need an instrument that isn't available in the OR, so the surgery scheduler has to make sure that what the doctor requested in included in the case report. This way, when the day of the surgery comes along, the doctor will have the necessary instrument to perform a successful surgery.

Blog 18: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #3

1.  What is your essential question?
My essential question is "What is the best way to treat head and neck cancer in adults?"
2.  What is your third answer to your essential question (write your third answer in a complete sentence)?
My third answer to my essential question is awareness about head and neck cancer through various mediums such as high school classes, education at the hospital via classes, etc. Education through these mediums, especially about factors that could cause head and neck cancer (smoking, alcohol consumption, sun exposure,etc) would help prevent head and neck cancer for the patients who are susceptible to it.
3.  What are three details to support or justify your third answer (details are examples or facts)?
The three details that justify my third answer are:

• "Reduced odds of head and neck SCC were found for the fruit, vegetable, and lean protein pattern.The fried foods, high-fat and processed meats, and sweets pattern was positively associated only with laryngeal cancer.These findings underline the importance of a dietary pattern rich in fruits and vegetables and low in high-fat and processed meats and sweets for prevention of head and neck cancer." Bradshaw, Patrick T., Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Marci Campbell, Mark C. Weisser, William K. Funkhouse, and Andrew Olshan. "Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Head and Neck Cancer: The Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Study."American Journal of Epidemiology 172.12 (2012): 1225-233. Print.
• "Our results thus show that even cancer patients with multi-drug abuse and heavy nicotine dependence can quit smoking successfully with structured support. This indicates that cancer could be a ‘teachable moment’ for patients with H&N cancer.The results of our study indicate that H&N cancer patients are interested in quitting smoking if support and help is being offered, even if it is possible that some patients felt obliged to accept participation to please the treating staff. However, a majority of the patients who stopped smoking during RT remained smoke-free during the first year after diagnosis, which indicates that their interest in quitting smoking was sincere." Sharp, L., Johansson, H., Fagerstrom, K. and Rutqvist, L.E. (2008), Smoking cessation among patients with head and neck cancer: cancer as a ‘teachable moment’. European Journal of Cancer Care, 17: 114–119.
• “Compared to subjects without family history, nonsmokers, and non or moderate drinkers, the OR was 42.6 for current smokers, heavy drinkers with family history. History of oral and pharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer is a strong determinant of oral and pharyngeal cancer risk, independent from tobacco and alcohol.” Garavello, W., Foschi, R., Talamini, R., La Vecchia, C., Rossi, M., Dal Maso, L., Tavani, A., Levi, F., Barzan, L., Ramazzotti, V., Franceschi, S. and Negri, E. (2008), Family history and the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer. Int. J. Cancer, 122: 1827–1831.

4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
The source that has helped me prove that my 3rd answer is justified for my essential question is taking to Mark Dome, the physician assistant at the Head and Neck Department. When discussing my essential question with him, they told me that the the best way to prevent head and neck cancer, or any other form of malignancy, was for the patient (s) to stop smoking, reduce or stop their alcohol consumption, have dietary measures, and look at the family history because if it is a trait shared in the family, they are more likely to attain some type of head and neck cancer. The details listed above also helped me find justification about it is  imperative for adults to educate themselves about head and neck cancer.
5.  What do you plan to study next and why?
I plan to study the effects of not undergoing the proper procedure during treatment and diagnosis for head and neck cancer, specifically if the patient continues to smoke or practices activities that could increase their risk of developing secondary malignant tumor and/or serious malformations to the face.

Mentorship Update

The great thing about this packet is that it comes in both  English and Spanish, which benefits patients  in the understanding of their surgery.

Today that I went to do my regular hours at the Head and Neck Department, I was mainly restocking the exam rooms with supplies, but I was also completing surgery packets, which are shown below. These packets are given to patients requiring surgery either to remove a malignancy or other problems that require the treatment of surgery. In my opinion, the packet is very helpful to the patient because it explains the process of what the patient is going to go through and has the names and numbers of the person you can contact if you have any pending questions about your surgery.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview Questions

Content:
Post 20 open-ended questions for approval you want to ask an expert in the field of your senior project.  The first question should be your essential question and the other 19 must help you answer your essential question.   Once you have possible answers, you may want to ask questions to help you get a more in-depth understanding of your answers.


1.What is the best way to treat head and neck cancer?
2.What is the procedure for diagnosing head and neck cancer?
3.What can the doctor do to help the patient with the psychosocial effects of cancer?
4.What is the most dangerous head and neck cancer to have? Why?
a.What treatment would you recommend for the patient and why?
5.Does the follow-up care depend on the treatment and/or cancer of the patient?
6.How would you conduct a follow-up for the patient?
7.Is it necessary for a patient to receive follow-up care if they have stage 1 cancer or noncancerous tumors?
8.What are the advantages or disadvantages of each treatment option? Again does it depend on the type of cancer?
9.What are the complications that could arise during treatment or when having head and neck cancer?
10.Is different treatment prescribed for patients who have recurrent head and neck cancer, or is the same treatment given to the patient?
11.How can one reduce their risk of developing head and neck cancer?
12.What should patients talk to their doctor after the treatment ends?
13.What risks do patients runs when they have HPV or any other immunosupressed deficiency?
14.What are the health habits that patients can practice after treatment and beyond?
15.How do the various departments combine to ensure the best care for the patient?
16.What would be the “ultimate cure” of the patient?
17.Depending on the type of cancer, some patients may need reconstructive surgery. How would you go about doing that?
18.What is the most challenging anatomical site to reconstruct?
19.Can you explain what disease –free survival means?
20.What are the health habits that patients can practice after treatment and beyond?

Blog 16: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #2

Content:

1.  What is your essential question?
My essential question is "What is the best way to treat head and neck cancer in adults?"
2.  What is your second answer to your essential question (write your second answer in a complete sentence)? My second answer to my essential question is that the patient receive follow-up care after they have completed treatment.
3.  What are three details to support or justify your second answer (details are examples or facts)?
Follow-up care is extremely important after a procedure,  especially if the patient experiences head and neck cancer.

• Follow-up care is important because it helps to identify changes in health. The purpose of follow-up care is to check for recurrence (the return of cancer in the primary site) or metastasis (the spread of cancer to another part of the body).  www.cancer.gov
• Follow-up care visits are also important to help in the prevention or early detection of other types of cancer, address ongoing problems due to cancer or its treatment, and check for physical and psychosocial effects that may develop months to years after treatment ends. www.cancer.gov
• The frequency and nature of follow-up care is individualized based on the type of cancer, the type of treatment received, and the person’s overall health, including possible treatment-related problems. In general, people return to the doctor for follow-up appointments every 3 to 4 months during the first 2 to 3 years after treatment, and once or twice a year after that.   www.cancer.gov

4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
The source that helped me prove this answer was one of my research articles, number 38, which is "Esophageal pathology in patients after treatment for head and neck cancer", by the journal Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. This article illustrated the importance of having follow-up care because of the fact that some patients could develop serious medical conditions after they receive treatment for cancer. In this article, the majority of patients had oropharyngeal cancer, and after undergoing treatment, they developed esophageal problems.  The authors recommended that the patients needed to be diagnosed quickly after the treatment because the physician has to take into consideration how the patient feels when performing simple acts, such as swallowing. The physician has to perform tests to check if everything is functioning normally after a major procedure. The authors also highlighted that the results must not be based on patient symptoms alone; it is necessary for the doctor to perform routine examinations so the problem could be detected early, and there are no other complications with the patient.

5.  What do you plan to study next with your second answer and why?
What I plan to study next with my second answer is how doctors can provide the best follow-up care for the patient, depending on the type of cancer and the treatment that they have. By doing research about my second answer, I can see if follow-up care is one of the ways that the patient can receive the best treatment. I also want to learn the different ways that can follow-up care can have an impact on the patients. For example, if the patient were to develop psychosocial effects, how would the physician outline the care needed for the patient.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

CONTENT:
(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.
For my second Independent Component, I plan on continuing to go to Mohs Night, at the Head and Neck Surgery department at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park. Before, in my first independent component, I studied how the doctors practiced the Mohs technique and what were the procedures that the nurses followed during the procedure. Now, I want to examine how the doctors interact with the patients because that is an important step in the and well being of the patient during and after the procedure. I am also going to volunteer more and have the opportunity to take a college class at Cal Poly Pomona. The class that I am going to be taking is Biology of Cancer on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-6:00pm (starting 4/2/2013).
(2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.
My plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement because I will go every Monday or Thursday for 3 or 4 hours for several weeks to observe the doctors and medical assistants. On some occasions, they conduct Mohs on Wednesdays, so there is a possibility that I might attend that day so I can complete the 30 hours requirement. I am also going to go more often to volunteer and attend classes regularly.
(3) How does your independent study component relate to your working EQ?
My independent  component relates to my essential question, which is, What is the best way to treat head and neck cancer in adults, because from this experience I did not only get knowledge about the Mohs procedure, but I will also see how each of the different doctors interact with each patient and the methods they use to ensure that both the surgery and the patient are well. This relates to my EQ because treating a patient does not only involve the best treatment for them, but also the follow-up care they receive and what the outcome is for the patient. The Bio of Cancer class will also aid my understanding  about how patients acquire cancer and the effects that the tumor cells have on the body.