Getting to know your students quickly is one of the most challenging—and most essential—skills of an effective Oncology Yoga professional. Cancer and the side effects of treatment present differently in every individual, often changing week to week or even day to day. This variability requires teachers to gather relevant information with care, clarity, and sensitivity.
Equally important, many participants do not know which details are important for you to understand in order to teach safely. Others may feel unsure, overwhelmed, or understandably hesitant to share personal health information in a group or on paper.
The Fast Facts process was developed to address these realities.
What is Fast Facts?
Fast Facts is an intake process, not a form. It is designed to help teachers gather the information they need to deliver a safe, effective, and appropriate Oncology Yoga intervention—without creating unnecessary barriers, discomfort, or risk.
- A verbal process used to gather essential information
- Not a written medical or consent form completed by participants
- A mental checklist of progressive questions, asked in a specific sequence
- Designed to feel natural, conversational, and non-intrusive
- Appropriate for both new and returning students, as conditions change
- Intended to be done privately and one-on-one whenever possible
Why is the sequencing of the questions important?
The answer to one question will lead a professional to the next question naturally and logically. For example, the answer to “What cancer has ‘touched’ you?” could spontaneously give answers to the next three questions. “I am on chemotherapy for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.” If, however, the answer is “I had thyroid cancer” a follow up would be to ask about the date of diagnosis. It could have been one month ago, or ten years, and that time frame would be important to know.
Why is Fast Facts a Verbal Intake Process?
The Fast Facts are a tool for the teacher and we have found that a verbal intact is preferred for the following reasons:
- Written forms are clinical. That kind of experience is all too familiar to survivors and thus, discouraging. Yoga sessions should not feel like visiting the doctor’s office.
- Keeping records of a person’s medical information is risky and could violate certain regulations and compliances (e.g. HIPAA in the US). It is not necessary to save the information gathered for class, so the risk of liability and breaching patient confidentiality is an unnecessary one to take.
- In the United States, written or stored medical information may fall under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations depending on how it is collected, stored, shared, or transmitted. Most yoga professionals are not HIPAA-covered entities—and should not attempt to function as such.
- Verbal Intake Supports Accuracy and Relevance. Cancer treatment effects change frequently. Written forms quickly become outdated.
- Hand-written notes about individuals in a teacher’s personal notepad falls into the gray area. General notes for the primary purpose of remembering individuals and to foster relationships can be considered safe. But these notes should be written on the teacher’s own time, and not while speaking with survivors or meeting someone for the first time.