The term patient-centered care is often treated as a staple of clinical mission statements, yet in the high-volume, high-technology environment of radiation oncology, its true application remains complex. At the American College of Radiation Oncology 2026 Radiation Oncology Summit, Fumiko Chino, MD, associate professor in the Department of Breast Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, sat down with CancerNetwork® to discuss why exceptional care requires moving beyond prescriptive models to address the individual fears and motivators of every patient.
From the “free fall” many patients experience after daily treatment ends to the “durable costs” of financial toxicity that linger long into survivorship, Chino highlighted the gaps in current delivery systems. Overall, her insights encompass:
- The team dynamic: how to empower every staff member—from front-desk coordinators to therapists—for anticipating patient needs
- The digital divide: ensuring artificial intelligence (AI)–integrated workflows and prior authorization models do not incorporate existing racial or socioeconomic disparities
- Provider wellness: acknowledging that the secret to the care of the patient is caring for the patient and the staff providing that care
Clinicians often talk about patient-centered care as a buzzword. In the busy workflow of a radiation oncologist, what is an underrated element that elevates an experience from standard to exceptional?
A common misconception about patient-centered care is that it can be very prescriptive in that you do this [but] you don’t do that. The true center of patient-centered care is knowing the patient and what their wishes, desires, and fears are while using those to tailor your specific approach, education, and follow-through with questions. There are people who have an incredibly high level of health literacy. They’re on ClinicalTrials.gov, and they’re researching their diagnosis. They’re finding out what the latest treatments are. Then there are people who want to be like, “Doc, tell me what to do.” Patient-centered care means understanding the motivators for the person and then how to approach them. A second tier for patient-centered care is family-centered care. We’re still barely at the edge of it now, which is embracing the caregiver and the family as part of the team dynamic.
How important is it to have staff around you who are trained in patient-centered care?
It’s important to think about the team dynamics within, for example, a radiation oncology clinic. There are many opportunities—from the person who checks them in at the front desk to the social worker, the nurse, the therapist, the physician, and the physician’s assistants—to think about. How do we meet this person where they are and start anticipating and meeting some of their needs? That means thinking about how to use navigators wisely. How do we use our social workers and not overburden them? How do we use our nurses to the maximum within their capacity, training, and licensure to improve outcomes? We have a lot of staff in radiation oncology; we roll deep. How do we motivate the therapist to make sure they’re doing the education that they’re absolutely trained for? How do we empower them to ensure they’re making that person’s care the best it can be?
Read full interview: https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/redefining-patient-centered-care-in-radiation-oncology
