Doctors Involved In Patient Cancer Care Teams

Family Doctor (General Practitioner)

A patient's family doctor plays a role in their cancer care team by helping coordinate cancer care and the management of comorbidities. Most individuals diagnosed with cancer begin their journey with their family doctor or general practitioner. The reason for this is because the general practitioner is the physician a patient visits upon the onset of the first signs something is wrong in their body. Family doctors and general practitioners function as part of the cancer care team because they provide substantial psychological support to the patient and their family, help with the administrative aspect of the disease and its treatment, and assist with the coordination of any home care. A cancer patient reports other minor ailments to their general practitioner, who can provide this information to the other members of the cancer care team. It is also common for the general practitioner to help with treating the side effects that occur due to a patient's cancer treatment.

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Psychologist

A psychologist is a type of doctor that specializes in the treatment of mental illness and disorders like depression or anxiety. The cancer care team must encompass all the effects of the disease on the cancer patient, including their psychological welfare. The diagnosis and journey of cancer as a disease can produce recurrent emotional turmoil for a patient and their family. Each individual who receives a cancer diagnosis is equipped with a different coping ability. The psychologist on a patient's cancer care team is responsible for guiding the patient through their disease mentally and emotionally. Psychological distress, depressive disorders, adjustment disorders, and anxiety disorders are the most common psychological problems that occur in cancer patients. A psychologist who is part of the cancer care team can communicate the patient's mental and emotional state and consider other team members input when determining how to treat the patient.

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