Leadership
Chair: Manon Lemonde, PhD, RN - Canada
Co-chair: Pongpak  Pittayapan, RN, DNSc - Thailand
Co-chair: Paz Fernández Ortega, RN, MsC, PhD - Spain

Study Group Minutes
2011 Minutes  - Athens, Greece

 Guidelines & Assessment Tools

• MASCC Antiemesis Tool© (MAT) - The MAT is available in English and five languages (French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish), obtained by the standard forward/backward translation process. This tool is for the professional to use in assessing a patients nausea and vomiting. 
• MASCC Oral Chemotherapy Teaching Tool© (MOATT) - The MASCC Teaching Tool for Patients Receiving Oral Agents for Cancer (MOATT) was developed by MASCC members and evaluated and revised so that it may be used worldwide. It is available in several languages that were translated using the standard forward/backward translation process. Kav S, et al (2008).
• Supportive Care in Cancer Vol.16(9):1075-83; Kav S, Barber L, Johnson J, Nirenberg A, Rittenberg C, Schulmeister L (2008). 
• Supportive Care in Cancer 16(6): 724-5 - 2008 Symposium Abstracts. 
• Development of teaching tool for patients receiving oral agents for cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer Vol. 18(5): 583-590; Kav S,  Nirenberg A,  Schulmeister  L,  Barber L, Johnson J, Rittenberg C, (2010)

Latest Updates
MAT - Now available on the iphone in the App Store

Goals
The goal of the patient education study section is to ensure patient education is an integral part of all aspects of supportive cancer care. A needs assessment survey of MASCC members has provided useful information for future planning. Outcomes of the recent meeting of the study section include the development and pilot of a patient guide outlining questions they may wish to ask about their disease and treatment, collaboration with the mucositis study section on developing a patient education brochure, and testing its effectiveness in multi-languages and cultural settings. Also discussed was the need to evaluate the readability of existing patient education materials and how best to respond to members who have indicated a lack of patient education materials in their countries/languages.

Publications

Winner of the European Oncology Nursing Society's Excellence in Patient Education Materials Award 2005: PRECIOUS TIMES
 A handbook on palliative care for parents of children with cancer 

CancerCare Connect Booklets are informational booklets summarizing selected topics from their Telephone Education Workshops.
Mouth Pain and Discomfort: All You Need to Know About Oral Mucositis - Information on:Oral Mucositis and Mouth Sores, How to Deal with Mouth Sores, Medications Available, Clinical Trials.

Books

A guide for patients with advanced cancer: Getting the most our of your oncologist. - FREE Download- In a unique partnering of oncologists, patients and patient advocacy groups, ESMO has produced a booklet to help patients with advanced cancer and their treating oncologists.

Books on Supportive Care  >>VIEW ALL - MASCC Member Discount

Related Links

http://www.cancersymptoms.org/ - A site designed for patients and caregivers to provide information on learning about and managing each of ten common cancer treatment symptoms. An ONS website.

http://www.peoplelivingwithcancer.org/  - A patient information website of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), is designed to help patients and families make informed health-care decisions.

http://www.cancercare.org/ - CancerCare is dedicated to helping people face the many challenges of a cancer diagnosis.

MASCC Study Group Coordinator, Anne Young