Before Your First Appointment

This page contains resources to help you feel empowered and prepared for your initial treatment planning appointment at BCI.

coping with a new diagnosis of breast cancer
How to work with your treatment team
What questions to ask and what information to have ready for your assessment
How to find accurate breast cancer information
understanding the hospital system including public and private healthcare

If you already attended your BCI appointment and have a plan for your treatment, please visit: Preparing for Treatment

The importance of collaborating with your Treatment Team

When receiving treatment for breast cancer, ACTIVE PARTICIPATION is important. We understand your recent diagnosis can be very distressing, or cause anxiety for yourself and your loved ones. You may be experiencing a whirlwind of emotions and not know where to start.

Research has shown that women who are engaged and work in collaboration with their treatment team feel increased feelings of control during this time in their life, feel more capable in making treatment decisions, and overall feel more satisfied with their treatment plan and experience less complications and side effects.

What is Active Participation?

Active participation is when you work with your healthcare team in partnership.
You are considered an important member of your treatment team!

How can you be an active participant?

There are 4 main ways you can prepare to be an active participant:

1. Seek out trustworthy and reliable information
2. Improve your ability to understand the healthcare system (also known as health literacy).
3. Reflect on your lifestyle and other health issues
4. Identify what is important to you and your personal priorities.

Watch this video for more information on active participation, or scroll through each of the four sections for resources to help you prepare for initial appointment

Step 1: Seek out trustworthy and reliable information

You may be seeking out information to understand more about your condition and its treatment. Finding resources you can trust is very important!

Learning how to find reliable information

You may also wish to use the following resources to learn how to find information that is reliable or can be trusted.

Developing this ability is a great life skill to have when navigating healthcare resources and assist you in making decisions confidently.

MYTHS ABOUT BREAST CANCER
Factsheet, Breast Cancer Network Australia
TRUST OR TRASH?
Tool to help you find reliable health information including websites, handouts, and booklets.

Examples of Reliable Resources

DIAGNOSIS SHOCK
Podcast, Upfront about breast Cancer
MYTHS ABOUT BREAST CANCER
factsheet, Breast Cancer Network Australia
OPTIMAL CARE PATHWAY FOR BREAST CANCER
the Australian government endorses a recommended treatment pathway for breast cancer
OPTIMAL CARE PATHWAY FOR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE WITH CANCER
Government endorsed guideline for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander People with cancer
MAKING RECONSTRUCTION TREATMENT DECISIONS – BRECONDA DECISION AID
If you breast needs to be removed, we are often able to offer reconstruction at the time of your procedure to remove the cancer. This website helps make decisions as to the type of reconstruction that would work best for you.
JUST DIAGNOSED, WHAT NEXT? Webcast

Step 2: Improve your Health Literacy

Health literacy relates to how people access, understand and use health information in ways that benefit their health. People with low health literacy are at higher risk of worse health outcomes.

CHECK BACK
Skills to communicate with your doctor and treating team to make sure you understand the plan
STAGE VS GRADE, THERE’S A DIFFERENCE
If you have read your pathology report, make sure you’re aware of what the terminology means
UNDERSTANDING RISK
Understanding how and why risk is discussed by your doctors will help you to make more informed treatment decisions
QUESTIONS TO ASK
3 very simple questions you can ask at your first appointment.
UNDERSTANDING PRIVATE vs PUBLIC HEALTH
Factsheet, Breast Cancer Network Australia
WHAT DOES MY PRIVATE INSURANCE COVER?
Factsheet, Australian Government

Step 3: Reflect on Your Lifestyle and Other Health Issues

At your first appointment, your treating team will conduct a thorough examination. You can us keep you safe during the treatment planning process by ensuring that the information you provide us is accurate.

MEDWISE APP
App to help you keep track of your medications
PRINTABLE MEDICATIONS LIST
PDF Medication list that can be printed
MY HEALTH RECORD
You can access your own health record
CHANGES TO DISCUSS
You may find this worksheet helpful to write down how you have been feeling physically and mentally that may be relevant to your appointment
FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY LOG
It may be helpful to document any conditions that run in your family as it may come up during your consultation

Step 4: Identify what is important to you and your personal priorities

Identifying your personal goals helps your medical team plan your treatment. It is important you tell us about them!

An obvious priority for all breast cancer patients is to be cancer free. This is also our priority as well.

Some examples of things to discuss with us:
– you’re worried how you would cope if you lost your breast
– if you’d like to start a family or have more children
– if you’ve recently retired and have long-term travel planned
– if you’re a fulltime carer for a family member or loved one
– if you’re worried about getting to and from appointments

VALUES SELF EXPLORATION WORKSHEET
PDF can be printed
WORRY TIME EXERCISE
guideline, MindSpot
COPING WITH UNCERTAINTY
structured problem solving worksheet

Disclaimer

This site contains information, data, documents, policies, procedures, guidelines, images and general health promotion material pages prepared by Westmead Breast Cancer Institute ("the Information") for and on behalf of the Western Sydney Local Health District. Westmead Breast Cancer Institute wishes to make available the Information to better inform the community. The information is protected by copyright.

The information also includes information derived from various third parties ("the third party Information") which is neither endorsed or supported by Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, and/or Western Sydney Local Health District and/or State of New South Wales and does not necessarily reflect any policies, procedures, standards or guidelines of Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Western Sydney Local Health District or the State of New South Wales.
Whilst the Information and the third party Information contained on this site have been presented with all due care, Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and/or Western Sydney Local Health District and/or the State of New South Wales do not warrant or represent that the information or the third party information are free from errors or omissions.

The information and the third party information are made available on the understanding that Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, and/or Western Sydney Local Health District and/or the State of NSW and their respective employees and agents shall have no liability (including liability by reason of negligence) to the users for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of any person using or relying on the information and/or the third party information and whether caused by reason of any error, negligent act, omission or misrepresentation in the information or the third party information or otherwise.

Further, whilst the information and the third party information are considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information and the third party information. The information and the third party information may change without notice and Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and/or Western Sydney Local Health District and/or the State of NSW are not and will not be , in any way, liable for the accuracy of any information printed and stored or in any way interpreted and used by a user.
Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and/or Western Sydney Local Health District and/or the State of NSW take no responsibility for the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of the information and/or the third party information nor for the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of links or references to information sources (including Internet Sites) outside of this site. Links to other Internet Sites are not under the control of Westmead Breast Cancer Institute or Western Sydney Local Health District or State of New South Wales and are provided for information only.

Although care has been taken in providing these links as suitable reference sources, due to the changing nature of the Internet content, it is the responsibility of the users to make their own investigations, decisions, enquiries about the information retrieved from other Internet Sites. Provision of these links does not imply any endorsement, non-endorsement, support or commercial gain by either Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Western Sydney Local Health District or the State of New South Wales.

Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, Australia