IPOS News

The strength of the health workers in psychosocial management of cancer

Access by going to https://ipos-society.org/federation/turkey/

Psychosocial support is of great importance in the diagnosis, treatment and ease the difficult follow-up processes of cancer patients. However, it is not easy to form a well-structured psychosocial support study for this group of diseases and in different age, gender and sociocultural groups. A psychosocial support that is close to perfection is only possible with the participation of all health workers in the context of volunteering and the correct management and appreciation of their wishes and efforts.

The health care professional who volunteers to give such support needs some academic and technical information. For example, one needs to be informed about changing communication patterns in different stages and processes of patients or psychosocial approaches that vary according to culture and similar belonging groups. Most importantly, the health care workers need to cope with the psychosocial strain of the patients while they have the necessary information and equipment to protect their mental health, such as compassion fatigue.

This booklet has been prepared with the aim of increasing the knowledge and equipment of the health care workers who are struggling with this difficult population and thus reducing their difficulties and being more supportive to their patients.

Not only the well-known, frequently repeated and quoted information included in the preparation of this booklet, but also the experience of the psychooncology association experts. Particularly Ozan Bahcivan’s international experiences who is one of the directors of International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS), and health psychologist from Özel Oz Psikoloji Aile Danışma Merkezi (Oz Psychology Family Counselling Centre) in Izmir, and two valuable healthcare workers from the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Dr Başak Adaklı Aksoy, and Chemotherapy Nurse Nermin Albayrak's valuable experiences were also included.

IPOS is now accepting nominations from active members to be on the Board of Directors. Individuals with a current “Active” membership from across the globe are encouraged to submit nominations for the volunteer Board positions noted below. Individuals with an “Early Career” membership are encouraged to submit for the Early Career Director position.

The following positions are open for nomination:

1. One Vice President position
2. One Secretary position
3. One Treasurer position
4. Seven individual Director positions:
   

Important items to note about the positions open for nomination:

• To seek nomination for the office of Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer, the member must have served, at some point in time, a minimum of one term on the IPOS Board of Directors.
• For individuals considering submitting for Vice President, please note the succession pattern shall be such that an individual so elected shall serve one term as Vice-President, one term as President and one term as Past President, for a total of six successive years.
• A Director can serve in the role of Secretary or Treasurer for a maximum of two terms after which they must be elected to the role of Vice President to remain on the Board.
• For the Early Career Position, individuals can only hold this position for one term of two years. For those submitting a nomination for this position, the individual must have an “Early Career” type of membership with IPOS.

Important Nomination and Election Timelines:

• Release of call for nominations: March 18, 2019
• Nomination Deadline – May 15, 2019
• Ballots to be issued to all voting members – June 17, 2019
• Voting Closes – August 15, 2019

Helpful Links:

• Constitution: https://ipos-society.org/resources/IPOSConstition2017.pdf
• Types and description of memberships with IPOS: https://ipos-society.org/membership/classifications
• 2019-2021 Board Nomination Form
• 2019-2021 Board Nominator Form

Completed nominations are to be sent to IPOS by email to [email protected] by May 15, 2019.

Nominations must include the following:

1. For the Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer or six Director positions: One completed nomination form & nominator form from an IPOS member that holds an “ACTIVE membership” type. Note, nominator forms from Associate, Early Career Members or Members-in-Training are not acceptable for these positions.
2. For the Early Career Director position: One completed nomination form from an IPOS member that holds an “EARLY CAREER membership” are acceptable. One completed nominator form an IPOS member that holds an “ACTIVE membership” type.
3. In a single document (Word file please) your Election Candidate Summary (to be used in the election packaged shared with voting members). This summary should include the following:

• Name and suffix, credentials, current employment position, employer name, city, prov/state, country.
• Point form highlights of your experience with IPOS.
• Current picture.
• Current Biography - brief 100 to 200 words maximum.
• Candidate Statement - outline of why you want to serve on the IPOS board and your election platform. 100 to 300 words maximum.

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS:

Vice President (President- Elect):

The Vice President is the President Elect. This position involves a six-year commitment to the IPOS Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The succession pattern shall be such that an individual so elected shall serve one term as Vice President, one term as President and one term as Past President, for a total of six successive years. To seek nomination for the office of Vice President the member must have served, at some point in time, a minimum of one term on the Board of Directors.

Secretary:

This position is for a two-year term on the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee. IPOS employs a management company to handle everyday secretarial and compliance reporting. The Secretary also works with the management company to ensure records are maintained in compliance with regulatory requirements. To seek nomination for the office of Secretary the member must have  served, at some point in time, a minimum of one term on the Board of Directors.

Six Individual Directors:

Each position is for a two-year term on the Board of Directors. Directors shall reflect an international and multidisciplinary composition and function as the governing body of the Society. The primary responsibility of the Directors shall be to establish the policies of the Society. The Directors shall also monitor the activities of the Society to ensure compliance with, and progress toward the achievement of, those policies. The IPOS Constitution allows the Board to work towards ensuring appropriate geographical representation.

One Early Career Director:

This position is for a two-year term on the Board of Directors and can only be held by a Early Career member. The Early Career Director role is to ensure the interests of career professional’s interest are advanced. In the event that during their elected term, they transition to Active Member status, as per Article III Section 5 of this bylaw, they shall continue to complete the remainder of their elected term. No one member shall hold the position of Early Career Director for more than one term.

Meetings/Operations/Expectations:

1. The primary language IPOS operates in is English.
2. The Board of Directors meet at a minimum every six months with all Directors expected to participate. Meeting are held via Google hangouts, with at least one meeting being in person. IPOS does not reimburse costs for attending or participating in meetings.
3. The Executive Committee meets as the need arises via Google hangouts.
4. Both the Board of Directors and Executive Committee are expected to closely monitor the activities of the Society and provide support as needed.
5. Elected individuals will strongly be encouraged to attend in person a Board meeting in conjunction with the 2019 World Congress in Banff.
6. All Board of Directors and Executive Committee members are expected to volunteer on a minimum of one IPOS committee (https://www.ipos-society.org/about/sigs)
7. Familiarity with the Society’s Constitution and Organization Structure is required: https://www.ipos-society.org/about/organization
8. The IPOS Board is considered a “working” Board, which requires directors to take on responsibilities beyond board meetings. This may include, but not limited to, supporting committee initiatives, working on agreed upon special projects, special initiatives and outreach to other organizations to further the IPOS mandate.

Questions/Comments? Please direct them to [email protected]

February 4, 2019 – Wolters Kluwer, Health announced today that the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research & Practice, the newest journal of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS), will be published under the Lippincott portfolio.

The Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research & Practice is an open access journal focused on the growing body of research in the field of psychosocial oncology. The journal publishes articles reporting on clinical research examining psychosocial and behavioral interventions in oncology settings, research on the implementation of psychosocial and behavioral interventions in routine clinical practice and their impact on outcomes.

“Building on the growing strength of research in the field of psycho-oncology internationally, this exciting, new, open-access journal aims to promote dissemination of the highest quality up-to-date research relevant to improving clinical practice in cancer care globally,” says Brian Kelly, Co-Editor-in-Chief. “This could be a game changer in accelerating the rate of dissemination and uptake of new and innovative psychosocial interventions relevant to a global audience,” adds Linda Carlson, Co-Editor-in-Chief. 

The Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice will include reports on pragmatic clinical trials, qualitative research, systematic reviews, survivorship research and care, psychosocial oncology research and practice in developing countries, innovative research methods and research into global and regional health disparities as they relate to psychosocial oncology care and services. 

“The Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research & Practice is an essential resource for disseminating updated and multidisciplinary clinical practice and research in psycho-oncology,” said Maria Die Trill, IPOS President. “Easier access to clinical research publications through open-access papers will provide professionals in developing countries with a significant source of knowledge where accessing subscription-based journals is often difficult.  Together with Wolters Kluwer, the journal´s experienced co-editors, and our international editorial board we will assure continued excellence.”

The journal is now open for manuscript submissions. For more information visit: https://www.editorialmanager.com/jporp/default.aspx.

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About the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS)

Founded in 1984, the IPOS was created to foster international multidisciplinary communication about clinical, educational and research issues that relate to the subspecialty of psycho-oncology and two primary psychosocial dimensions of cancer:

• Response of patients, families and staff to cancer and its treatment at all stages
• Psychological, social and behavioral factors that influence tumor progression and survival

With members in almost 100 countries worldwide, IPOS has established itself as an international voice for psychosocial oncology professionals. For more information about IPOS, find us online at https://ipos-society.org/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @IPOSPsychoOncol.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the health, tax & accounting, finance, risk & compliance, and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer, headquartered in the Netherlands, reported 2017 annual revenues of €4.4 billion. The company serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide.

Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit http://healthclarity.wolterskluwer.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.

The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) is pleased to be partnering with the Japan Psycho-Oncology Society (JPOS) to host the 2020 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology in Kyoto Japan. The congress dates are June 16 – 19, 2020.

The congress venue is the International Conference Center Kyoto, which is easily accessible by public transit.

The IPOS congress is strategically scheduled with the 2020 Palliative, Supportive, and Psychosocial Care Joint meeting, The 33th Annual meeting of the Japan Psycho-Oncology Society (JPOS), the 25th. Annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine (JSPM), and the 5th Annual meeting of the Japanese Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (JASCC) all of which are scheduled directly following the IPOS Congress.

Interested attendees are encouraged to start booking hotel accommodation early to ensure you secure accommodation of your choice. The congress is scheduled one month prior to the 2020 summer Olympics in Toyko, Japan. Kyoto has a huge range of hotels to suit all budgets. When booking consider public transit access and cancellation policies.

Wellness House, Chicagoland’s leader in psychosocial support for people living with cancer and their families, is seeking to hire an Executive Director who will join our staff July 1, 2019 and can work alongside our current Chief Executive Officer, who has served the organization since 1990 and will be retiring in December 2019. This 6-month transition period will provide a tremendous opportunity to build relationships with key external stakeholders and assume responsibility for day-to-day operations. The Executive Director will be joining Wellness House as we complete a 2-year plan that has positioned the organization for significant, sustainable growth.

What Wellness House Offers You

In 1990, we started Wellness House with a single mission: Wellness House envisions a community where all people affected by cancer thrive. Offered at no cost, and as a complement to medical treatment, our programs educate, support and empower participants so they will improve their physical and emotional wellbeing. Today, we offer a variety of programs and services — exercise classes, nutrition seminars, support groups, and more — that complement medical care with a whole-person approach to healing. Everything we do is to prepare and empower people to fully live life with cancer and beyond. Our experts, specialists and programs focus on the individual needs of people through every step of cancer – before, during and after treatment. We use a psychosocial approach based on research, addressing the whole person – socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually and psychologically. Our staff team of 27 fulfills the mission, created by our Board of Directors, including 27 members, and together, we live our Principles for Action: Community, Accountability, Quality and Innovation.

What You Offer Us at This Unique Time in Our History

We are seeking an Executive Director to step in at this pivotal time to provide additional capacity and vision as we finalize our next strategic plan that will guide the depth and breadth of our programs, build upon our strong governance, and grow our fundraising and marketing. We are searching for an experienced, selfmotivated and inspiring leader who can work well with a variety of constituencies, including volunteers, donors/grantors, healthcare professionals, business and community leaders, to engage them in the mission of Wellness House and inspire them to participate in our sustainable growth to meet the growing needs of people affected by cancer. This leader will be able to motivate and energize our staff while effectively managing resources in order to positively impact the lives of our participants in the most cost-effective way possible. In particular, we are looking for a leader who is capable of implementing the organization’s strategic plan, which prioritizes community and medical partnerships in order to reach more people affected by cancer in underserved communities. This leader will serve as a knowledgeable, passionate and articulate spokesperson for Wellness House.

Key Performance Criteria and Competencies

The Executive Director is responsible for the implementation of the strategic plan, set by the Board of Directors, and the execution of all day-to-day operations to achieve successful programs to meet the mission and vision of the organization. Relationship building with key external stakeholders at the local and national level is central to sustainability of our activities, including fundraising and oversight of financial management. Strong leadership for the staff includes actively engaging and contributing to a healthy, stimulating, productive work environment where all constituents - participants, staff, volunteers and donors - can “feel better inside.”

This is a full-time position. Evening and weekend work may be required. Wellness House offices are located in Hinsdale, Illinois.

Click here to download the complete job posting.

Click here to find out how you can post a job opening with IPOS.

As a board member, I successfully represented IPOS at the Turkish National Psycho-Oncology Congress held between 14 - 16 November 2018. We had more than 700 delegates including policy makers and governmental authorities. The Turkish society membership increased from 41 members to 132 members and counting. 

We, as the congress organising committee, believe that this congress did make an impact in local agencies settings, and was an eye opener to the many organisations and health centres in Turkey. 

"We sincerely thank IPOS for being the info point when needed, and proud to be endorsed by this Society and hoping to collaborate more with IPOS, said the congress president Prof. Dr Ali Caykoylu."

Video message from IPOS President Maria Die Trill, PhD: 
https://youtu.be/KBDuOMsHgw4

2018 has been a busy year for IPOS. Most of what has been accomplished could not have been done without our many volunteers, committees and special interest groups. Throughout the year, we provide updates on what has been going on. Here is our latest update from IPOS Immediate Past President Luzia Travado.

Throughout 2018, Luzia has represented IPOS and our members across the globe. Below are four key highlights:

1.     Received an invite from the president of the Brazilian Psycho-Oncology Society (SBPO) to participate in the August 2018 Brazilian National Cancer Congress and Psycho-oncology National Congress in Belém, Brasil. Luzia represented IPOS as well as delivered a communication skills training workshop. She also participated in several talks:

• The role and challenges of psycho-oncology in improving cancer care;
• The value of psychosocial care for cancer patients;
• Round-table regarding the ‘minimal curriculum for the specialization in Psycho-oncology.’

2.     Awarded a grant from SPARC/UICC and invited to attend the UICC World Cancer Congress in Kuala Lumpur, October 1-4, 2018. Fellow IPOS Director Chioma Asuzu also attended. Luzia represented IPOS at their General Assembly. At the meeting, Luzia spoke with then president Sanchia Aranda about including ‘Distress management’ in the World Cancer Declaration and in their new program to eradicate Cervical Cancer in the world. After this talk, follow-up to introduce IPOS and its mission was completed by an email to Julie Torode and via discussion with the new UICC president Princess Dina Mired.

3.     Luzia provided a webcast lecture for the European School of Oncology (ESO) and their e-ESO online learning program on the value of psychosocial care for patients, e-session 444 – 21 June 2018. You can access this webcast by going to https://www.e-eso.net/sessions.do?methodcall=details&idegrandround=901

4.     With the  European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), Luzia participated as co-chair and IPOS representative on the Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care for Ovarian Cancer. Details can be found by going to https://www.ecco-org.eu/

Thanks again to all our volunteers for a great 2018! Thanks also to all the support from our members around the world. Until 2019!

Find out how you can become a member of IPOS in 2019 by going to https://ipos-society.org/membership/apply

IPOS Clinical Practice Guidelines – Resources updated

All current members of IPOS have access to an extensive list of resources collated by our Guidelines Committee. These resources are designed to assist IPOS members in accessing information about key areas of clinical practice where evidence is available, resources to assist in evaluating the quality of guidelines, strategies to implement guidelines and steps to take in the development of new guidelines.

Most of the resources are clinical practice guidelines. Peer-reviewed journal articles are also cited in some instances.

There is now information on the following available:

1. Assessing quality of clinical practice guidelines 2. Guideline development 3. Implementation of clinical practice guidelines 4. Models of psychosocial care 5. Distress 6. Depression and Anxiety 7. Fatigue 8. Fear of recurrence 9. Fertility 10. Sleep disturbance

11. Suffering - what is the concept and how to respond? 12. Adolescent and young adults 13. Survivorship 14. Advanced disease 15. Consumer resources 16. Decision Aids 17. Sexuality 18. Integrative Therapies 19. Pain 20. Health Professional Communication

IPOS members can access these resources by going to https://ipos.wildapricot.org/members/guidelines

Not a current member of IPOS? Find out more by going to https://ipos.wildapricot.org/membership/apply

What are Registered Reports?

Registered Reports are a new form of empirical article in which the methods and proposed analyses are preregistered and reviewed prior to research being conducted. The cornerstone of the Registered Reports format is that a significant part of the manuscript will be assessed prior to data collection, with the highest quality submissions accepted in advance. This format is designed to minimize bias in deductive science, while also allowing complete flexibility to conduct exploratory (unregistered) analyses and report serendipitous findings Psycho-Oncology is pleased to announce that the journal now accepts Registered Reports. Click here to find out more.

Why publish a Registered Report in Psycho-Oncology?

• Benefit from peer review prior to conducting your experiment, data collection and analysis, helping to identify any issues with the study methodology
• Initial presentation of your research study design will be published after in-principle acceptance followed by full paper publication after further analysis and peer review
• Improve the potential impact of your research, with the knowledge that your research methodology has been independently reviewed

How do Registered Reports work?

1. Submit your research question and study design
2. The Psycho-Oncology editorial team will then send suitable submissions for peer review
3. Your article will be rejected or accepted in principle for publication
4. If your research is accepted, your study design will then be published in the journal
5. Conduct your study and submit your final article for re-review
6. If your study matches the approved research plan and draws appropriate conclusions, it will be published, regardless of the findings
7. The final published article will be linked to your original, published study design

Click here to submit your registered report.

CME for Reviewers

Psycho-Oncology in partnership with Wiley now offers continuing medical education (CME) credit for peer review of manuscripts submitted to the journal. Peer reviewers may request 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per original manuscript being reviewed. Reviewers may only claim CME credit once per manuscript. Credit claims for additional rounds of review will not be awarded.

Accreditation and Designation Statement

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. designates a manuscript review activity for a maximum of 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The American Medical Association (AMA) limits the number of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits earned through manuscript review to five (5) reviews—or fifteen (15) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ toward the AMA PRA per year.

Educational Objectives

Upon the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

• Enhance their knowledge of psycho-oncology
• Improve their capacity to recognize and evaluate quality research in psycho-oncology
• Improve their care of patients by integrating knowledge of psycho-oncology care/treatments into comprehensive cancer care.

Activity Disclosures

No commercial support has been accepted related to the development or publication of this activity.

Faculty and Disclosures

Editor-in-Chief
Maggie Watson PhD discloses no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests.

Associate Editor for Asia
Richard Fielding BA (Hons), C.Psychol, PhD, FFPH discloses no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests.

Associate Editor for North America
William Pirl MD, MPH discloses no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests.

Guest Editors
Tania Estapé and Elliot Coups disclose no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests.

Instructions

To submit a request for CME credit, the manuscript reviewer must complete the required CME questions within their review submission form online. Following submission, your request for credit will then be processed. Please note that requests for CME credit are only possible during initial submission of your review.

Certificates for all approved requests will be issued out by email on a monthly basis. A copy of your certificate will be held on file by the accredited provider for later access. If you require a replacement copy of your certificates, or if you have any questions regarding the program, please contact the accredited provider at [email protected].