As the treatment for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) is becoming more complex and is increasingly shifting into the outpatient setting, care partners are playing a more central role in the patient journey. Care partners are essential to patient care and shared decision making (SDM), helping to support the best possible outcomes.

For a patient with MM, the role of the care partner or caregiver has always been significant, but this is true now more than ever. This is because patients with MM are living longer and often experience multiple lines of therapy that require significant care partner support to help optimize patient outcomes. Moreover, the recent increase in outpatient treatment options such as immunotherapies, which require patient education and communication, close monitoring, and continuous coordination with the patient’s health care team, has also increased the importance of the care partner role.

Over the years, I have truly gained an appreciation for care partners. They really are an extraordinary part of the whole patient experience. Not only do they play a role in supporting the patient throughout the process but they also facilitate SDM, help with many of the logistics of managing medications and appointments, navigate the health care system, and facilitate the appropriate monitoring of patients, especially after the initiation of a CAR T-cell therapy or a bsAb. Care partners also contribute to patients’ emotional and spiritual wellness.

This kind of individual support, along with the support of larger groups, has become fundamental to the patient journey, especially in RRMM. Because of this, I think it is important that we, as health care providers, are very cognizant of the increased role of the care partner. It is imperative that we engage care partners in the SDM process and in the education of patients as they all try to navigate these complex therapies.

We also need to recognize that care partners also need support. There are data clearly demonstrating that care partners can experience posttraumatic stress disorder. For example, they may experience fatigue and exhaustion, and their stress levels are such that they need care and respite as well. And so, as we partner with foundations, organizations, and societies that advocate for the patient, it is important to understand that the patient and the care partner form an essential unit and that everyone plays a role in the care of the patient. Recognizing this will only help improve the outcomes for our patients with RRMM.

Overall, given the current treatment advancements in RRMM and the improvements that have been observed in patient outcomes, the patient journey has only become more complex and longer—but also smoother in many respects. Because of this, we (as the health care team) need to recognize the value and importance of care partners, their role in the medical and nonmedical support of patients, and their collaboration with us (the health care team) to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.