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Patient, caregiver, and family education and support was 1 of 6 key areas of interest identified by the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match 2-year project to prioritize patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) goals for the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) community. PCOR focuses on research to help patients and their caregivers make informed decisions about health care. Therefore, each area of interest was assigned to a working group with broad representation, including patients, caregivers, and clinicians. Each working group was charged with identifying gaps in knowledge and making priority recommendations for critical research to fill those gaps. The report from this working group presents a conceptual framework to address gaps in knowledge regarding patient and caregiver education in BMT and recommendations for priority research questions on this topic., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Competition among healthcare institutions, the need to improve outcomes, and the desire to decrease costs have motivated blood and marrow stem cell transplant centers to develop innovative care models. In an effort to meet these challenges, a major midwestern medical center adapted the transplant process to the outpatient setting. This transition created greater educational and care demands for patients and families. To address these demands and provide improved accommodations and amenities for patients and families, the center adopted an innovative model of care, Cooperative Care, for transplant recipients. Cooperative Care embraces patients and families as key members of the healthcare team. A family member serves as a primary caregiver for the patient during the acute inpatient phase of the transplant. Care becomes more personal and individualized, cost is reduced, the rate of rehospitalization potentially is decreased, and patients ultimately become more confident and competent in caring for themselves. The healthcare team shifted its care philosophy to incorporate a care partner, increase patient control and independence, and create greater emphasis on education. Outcomes, including patient satisfaction, have demonstrated success and motivated expansion of this model to other patient populations.

Patient and family education is an important component of the organ transplant programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The Medical Center is in the process of planning a new transplant center which will employ the family-centered, educationally-intensive cooperative care concept. This approach was chosen as the model for the delivery of care at the Lied Transplant Center because it emphasizes efficient, effective clinical care by requiring active participation by the family or essential other, thereby better preparing both the patient and the family for the transition to home and to the community. This article presents the evolution of patient education in our transplant programs, discusses the educational needs of transplant patients across the continuum of care, provides insight into the process of planning educational programs for the new center and provides a sample module for teaching which is based on the Cooperative Care concept.