The National Cancer Policy Board (board) concluded in its April 1999 re- port, Ensuring Quality Cancer Care, that based on the best available evidence, some individuals with cancer do not receive care known to be effective for their condition. The magnitude of the problem is not known, but the board believes it is substantial (IOM 1999a). Why do we know so little about the nature and extent of …
More than 250,000 women in the United States hear the diagnosis of breast cancer every year. Most women will be cured by sur- gery, which no longer means a mastectomy in many cases. Additional treatment, designed to prevent a recurrence in the breast or spread of the cancer to other areas of the body, may be recommended at the time of diagnosis. This may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy,…
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions. Nearly half of all American adults—90 million people—have inadequate health literacy to navigate the health- care system (IOM, 2004). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the Roundtable on Health Literacy to addr…