American Psychosocial Oncology Society 4th Annual Conference

美国社会心理肿瘤学会（APOS）第四届年会将于2007年3月1日至4日在德克萨斯州奥斯汀举行，将提供唯一的全国性跨学科论坛，来自肿瘤学、精神病学、心理学、社会工作、护理、教教关怀、咨询、治疗和患者倡导等领域的约400名代表将分享有关改善癌症幸存者生活质量的最新信息。APOS第四届年会的主题是“在不同社区促进高质量的癌症心理社会护理”；它致力于制定战略，以增加服务不足人群获得社会心理护理的机会。参加会议的与会者将获得以下方面的技能和能力：(a)向研究人员和从业人员传授方法，以确定和吸引能够合作制定战略的宣传团体，这些战略将改善不同族裔、少数民族和医疗弱势群体的获得和治疗机会；(b)确定研究人员和从业人员可采用的资源和战略，以改善不同族裔、少数民族和医疗弱势群体获得癌症心理社会护理的机会、治疗和结果；(c)将前沿的、多学科的研究成果转化为参与者所在机构的临床和教育项目，这些项目与持续护理过程中对痛苦的评估和管理、症状管理和生活质量问题有关；(d)了解研究人员和从业人员之间合作的价值，以改善在各种癌症环境中向患者及其家属提供最先进的医疗和心理癌症护理；(e)推广APOS资源，并与APOS成员和该领域的其他领导者建立联系，形成有价值的专业和非专业合作。年会以一整天的实践研讨会开始，为社会心理肿瘤学专业人员和患者倡导者提供创新的临床技能，主题包括以社区为基础的研究，解决多样性问题，围绕不同社区的概念和测量问题以及姑息治疗等。随后的会议将讨论幸存者，少数民族和服务不足人群的心理社会服务，生活质量问题等等。会议结束时将举行半天专门的以技能为基础的讲习班，重点是减少心理社会护理方面的健康差距。对会议的评估将包括与会者对整个计划的反应以及会议对后续APOS计划和活动的影响。接受报告的摘要将发表在《心理肿瘤学》杂志的增刊上，报告将发布在APOS网站上。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) 4th Annual Conference, 1 - 4 March 2007 in Austin, TX, will provide the only national interdisciplinary forum where an estimated 400 representatives from the fields of oncology, psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, pastoral care, counseling, therapy and patient advocacy can share the latest information on ways to improve cancer survivors' quality of life. The APOS 4th Annual Conference theme is "Promoting Quality Psychosocial Cancer Care across Diverse Communities"; it is dedicated to developing strategies to enhance access to psychosocial care among the underserved. Participants attending the conference will gain skills and competence related to (a) teaching researchers and practitioners methods for identifying and engaging advocacy groups who can collaborate to build strategies that will improve access and treatment for ethnically diverse, minority and medically vulnerable populations; (b) identifying resources and strategies that researchers and practitioners can employ to improve access, treatment and outcomes in psychosocial cancer care among ethnically diverse, minority and medically vulnerable populations; (c) translating cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research findings into clinical and educational programs in participants' own institutions related to the assessment and management of distress, symptom management and quality-of-life issues across the continuum of care; (d) understanding the value of collaboration between researchers and practitioners to improve the delivery of state-of-the-art medical and psychosocial cancer care for patients and their families across cancer settings; and (e) promoting APOS resources and networking with APOS members and other leaders in the field to form valuable professional and lay collaborations. The Annual Conference begins with a full day of practical workshops, providing psychosocial oncology professionals and patient advocates with innovative clinical skills on topics such as community-based research addressing diversity issues, conceptual and measurement issues surrounding diverse communities and palliative care, among others. Subsequent sessions will address survivorship, psychosocial services for minority and underserved populations, quality of life issues, and more. The conference will close with a half-day dedicated to skills-based workshops centered on reducing health disparities in psychosocial care. Evaluation of the conference will include participant response to the overall program and the impact of the sessions on subsequent APOS programs and activities. Abstracts accepted for presentation will be published in a supplement to the journal Psycho-Oncology, and presentations will be posted on the APOS website.