HLTAHCS008 — Provide support to women with cancer

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
• provide support to a total of three Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander female clients with cancer to collectively include:
• people across the lifespan
• people with different types of cancer
• for each of the three clients, and according to their individual needs:
• source credible consumer based education resources from relevant cancer support services, and clearly explain these to the client
• provide clear information and explanations about relevant forms of clinical cancer treatment and their side effects that collectively covers the following across the three clients:
• surgery including mastectomy and breast conserving surgery
• radiotherapy
• chemotherapy
• immunotherapy
• hormonal therapy
• pain relief
• provide clear explanations about self-care strategies that the client can use to monitor and manage her disease, pain and side effects from treatments
• source information about relevant cancer support services, explain their key features and advise the client how to access services
• plan and organise continuity of cancer care in consultation with the client and multidisciplinary team
• use organisational registers and recall strategies to book two appointments for cancer health care checks
• document, in client records, accurate details of each client contact including details of services, information and referrals provided.

Knowledge evidence

• organisational procedures for client record keeping
• key elements of the psychosocial impact of cancer and the importance to health outcomes of managing this aspect of health:
• emotional
• psychological
• physical
• practical
• techniques used to communicate with clients and families dealing with the emotional impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment
• plain language:
• definitions of cancer
• definitions of breast cancer:
• Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)
• early breast cancer
• secondary breast cancer
• explanations of how cancer multiples
• explanations of metastasis
• analogies that can be used to explain cancer and its spread including the weed analogy
• for women’s cancers and for other cancers prevalent in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander populations including bowel, liver, lung, gynaecological and breast cancers:
• basic pathophysiology sufficient to describe the impact and functional changes on cancer affected body organs and systems
• overview of the common forms of treatment including their aim and their side effects:
• surgery, including mastectomy and breast conserving surgery for breast cancer
• radiotherapy
• chemotherapy
• immunotherapy
• hormonal therapy
• pain relief
• common self-care strategies that can be used by clients to monitor and manage their disease, pain and side effects from treatments
• the role of traditional and bush healers relevant to the local community
• the elements of client self-management of cancer, and the importance of the client’s role in managing the disease:
• knowing about the particular type of cancer
• sharing in decision-making for care plans, treatments and ongoing health care
• following an agreed care plan
• monitoring and managing signs and symptoms as well as side effects of treatments
• managing the impact on physical, emotional and social life
• adopting a healthy lifestyle
• accessing and using cancer support services
• factors that may impact on client choice of treatment and health care:
• adherence to traditional and spiritual belief systems
• perceptions of risk and benefits
• potential for physical disability or impaired function and their impacts on ability to work, family and personal relationships
• ability to manage treatments and ongoing self-care
• the importance of:
• current and credible consumer based education resources about cancer and its treatment in the client decision-making process
• patient treatment choices on cancer outcomes
• respecting client values and choice of treatment, and how to provide balanced and evidence based information to assist with decisions
• determining treatments and planning for supportive care services before treatment starts
• barriers and difficulties faced by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and their families who need to travel or relocate to distant centres to access treatments
• cancer support services available in the community, state or territory:
• for cancer in general and for particular types of women’s cancers
• specialist services available to women of different ages, and to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
• services to support clients who are caring for family members with life-limiting illness or who are at the end stages of life
• how to access information about the types of services and consumer based education resources they provide
• how clients can access services and the role of health workers and practitioners in facilitating access
• how multidisciplinary team members work together to coordinate cancer treatments and care, and how to facilitate referrals
• the importance of continuity of care for clients with cancer, and support mechanisms used to assist clients with:
• managing the side effects of treatments
• physical and psychosocial care
• recovery and survivorship
• understanding the need for ongoing screening in survivorship, and types of screening programs available for male and other cancers
• how to use client information systems and recall functions to follow-up clients for care and for regular check-ups
• the principles and philosophy of palliative care and the role of different members of the multidisciplinary care team in discussing palliative care with clients
• for palliation:
• methods to manage advanced symptoms and pain for people with terminal cancer
• methods to manage the psychosocial aspects of symptoms and pain
• for advanced care directives:
• their purpose, and difference between the purpose of wills, powers of attorney and enduring guardianships
• inclusions including the person responsible for making medical decisions when client is unable, treatments the client would like or would refuse, and personal values and beliefs about things such as treatments and dying
• how they are used by medical practitioners, nurses and other members of a multidisciplinary care team to provide end of life care
• overview of legal requirements for the local state or territory, and considerations for review and renewal.

Foundation skills

• Reading skills: • interpret detailed and sometimes unfamiliar client records, involving medical terminology and abbreviations • interpret detailed and sometimes unfamiliar plain language consumer based education resources.
• Writing skills: • use fundamental sentence structure, health terminology and abbreviations to complete forms and reports that require factual and subjective information.
• Oral communication skills: • use language and terms sensitive to clients’ values and emotional state • ask open and closed probe questions and actively listen to determine client needs and understanding of information provided.
• Learning skills: • use information provided in credible evidence based consumer resources to update and extend knowledge of cancer, treatments and available support services.
• Initiative and enterprise skills: • source information that meets the specific needs of clients and families.

Unit content sourced from training.gov.au — © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Auditori is not affiliated with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Questions about assessing HLTAHCS008