PHILADELPHIA — March 20, 2019 — Health Union will share research findings in a poster presentation at the 2019 Annual Conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in Orlando. The poster, titled “Misperceptions Regarding Palliative and Hospice Care Among Cancer Patients – What Can We Learn from Patient-Reported Treatment Decision Making?,” will be presented on March 22.

Based on findings from Health Union’s Impact of Cancer survey of more than 1,500 people with cancer, the poster presentation highlights misperceptions people with cancer often have about palliative and hospice care. Results from the qualitative analysis demonstrate that people with cancer are broadly misinformed about the benefits of palliative care and have some confusion around the timing and components of hospice care. A potential factor behind this misunderstanding may be a lack of effective communication between patients and HCPs.

The presentation’s abstract was authored by Health Union’s Sara Hayes, MPH, executive director of community development; Brian M. Green, MS, executive director of community development; Shayna Yeates, community development manager; Amrita Bhowmick, MPH, MBA, chief community officer; Kaitlyn McNamara, senior analyst for research and analytics; and LB Herbert, Ph.D., executive director of research and analytics.

The poster – No. 120 at the conference – will be viewable during the general poster sessions at 7-8 a.m., 10:25-10:50 a.m., 12:25-1:40 p.m. and 3-3:25 p.m.

NCCN’s Annual Conference will take place March 21-23 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. According to NCCN’s website, the Annual Conference brings together oncologists, oncology fellows, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare providers to learn about the latest cancer therapies, updates on NCCN Guidelines® and quality initiatives in oncology.

About Health Union

Health Union encourages social interactions that evolve into valuable online health conversations, helping people with chronic conditions find the information, connection and validation they seek. The company creates condition-specific online ecosystems – publishing original, daily content and continuously cultivating social conversation – to support, educate and connect millions of people with challenging, chronic health concerns. Today, the Health Union family of brands includes 21 online health communities, including ParkinsonsDisease.net, MultipleSclerosis.net, Blood-Cancer.com and Type2Diabetes.com.