About 4R Oncology®

4R – Right Information and Right Care for the Right Patient at the Right Time

Personalized patient-facing care planning:

Supports both patient self-management and coordinated care delivery

  • Roadmap for systematic coordination of care delivery at the “right” time and sequence (4,5)
  • Provides tools, information for patient self-management, including timing & sequence of care (4,6)

Patient self-management: capacity to play active role in planning and managing their care and life during and after cancer treatment (7,8)

Imperative for optimal delivery of comprehensive care and outcomes:

  • Cancer care

  • Supportive care and health maintenance

  • Social care to address practical, employment, financial, family, and other needs

Necessary to manage clinician workload, shortage as care complexity increases

  • Navigation, and coordination support could be directed to patients not willing or able to self-manage

Cancer care is highly interdependent. Inadequate timing & sequencing leads to care breakdowns, worse outcomes, wider disparities

Cancer Care timing and sequencing

  • Genetic assessment prior to surgery, other treatment decisions
  • Biomarker testing prior to treatment decision
  • Proactive toxicity management, etc.

Supportive care & health maintenance

  • Fertility preservation before systemic therapy
  • Smoking/vaping cession before treatment
  • Flu vaccine before treatment
  • Comorbidity care before and during treatment, etc.

Social care

  • Addressing transportation prior to start of treatment
  • Timely identification and support for financial, food and housing hardship
  • Child/elder care needs, etc.
References

1.Levit L, Balogh E, Nass S, et al (eds): Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis. Washington (DC), National Academies, Press (US), 2013

2.McCorkle R, Ercolano E, Lazenby M, et al: Self-management: Enabling and empowering patients living with cancer as a chronic illness. CA Cancer J Clin 61:50-62, 2011

3.Balogh EP, Ganz PA, Murphy SB, et al: Patient-centered cancer treatment planning: Improving the quality of oncology care. Summary of an Institute of Medicine workshop. Oncologist 16:1800-1805, 2011

4.Trosman et at. Evaluation of the Novel 4R Oncology Care Planning Model in Breast Cancer: Impact on Patient Self-Management and Care Delivery in Safety-Net and Non-Safety-Net Centers. JCO Oncol Pract. 2021 Aug;17(8):e1202-e1214.

5.Liu et al. Fostering a High-Functioning Team in Cancer Care Using the 4R Oncology Model: Assessment in a Large Health System and a Blueprint for Other Institutions. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 Sep 30

6.Trosman et al. Care for a Patient With Cancer As a Project: Management of Complex Task Interdependence in Cancer Care Delivery. J Oncol Pract. 2016 Nov;12(11):1101-1113.

7. McCorkle R, et al: Self-management: Enabling and empowering patients living with cancer as a chronic illness. CA Cancer J Clin 61:50-62, 2011

8. Howell D et al. Management of cancer and health after the clinic visit: A call to action for self-management in cancer care. J Natl Cancer Inst 113:523-531, 2021

For more information, watch the 4R Objectives and Results Video, under How to Use 4R / 4R Videos