The impact of survivorship care plans on knowledge among breast cancer survivors.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (26_suppl) ◽  
pp. 124-124
Author(s):  
Kaleigh Bulloch ◽  
Melinda Irwin ◽  
Anees B. Chagpar ◽  
Nina Ruth Horowitz ◽  
Brigid K. Killelea ◽  
...  

124 Background: Despite the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that all cancer survivors be provided with a survivorship care plan (SCP), there is limited information as to whether SCPs improve knowledge. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of SCPs on patient knowledge regarding tumor stage, cancer treatment and potential risk of long-term side effects, surveillance recommendations, and perceived knowledge of their therapy. Methods: 75 English-speaking women over the age of 18 were enrolled in this prospective study. The participants’ treatment progress was tracked through the electronic medical record and used to create the SCP, which was given to them at the completion of treatment (defined as the time patients had completed radiation and/or chemotherapy treatments and initiated on hormonal therapy, if applicable). Knowledge of stage, treatments, potential side effects, and surveillance recommendations were assessed before receiving the SCP and again two months later. Accuracy of responses was compared using the McNemar test. Results: The median patient age was 56.8 ± 12.5 and 47.1% were stage I, 37.3% were stage II, and 15.7% were stage III. Participants were statistically more accurate in identifying their stage after receiving their SCP than at baseline (72.6% vs. 92.2%, p = 0.0016). While many patients were more accurate in the identification of the cancer treatment they received after SCP, the only significant improvement was in identifying 5-Fluorouracil as chemotherapy received (65.5% vs. 89.7%, p=0.0196). Patients were more accurate in identifying potential side effects but were only statistically more accurate at identifying leukemia as a risk factor (36.0% vs. 46.9%, p=0.0348). At baseline and follow up patients perceived that they had a high level of understanding as it related to their cancer stage (60.4%, and 66.7%), treatment (69.4%, and 71.4%), and surveillance recommendations (61.4%, and 54.6%). Conclusions: SCPs appear to improve patient knowledge in several important areas including basic and specific treatment details, surveillance recommendations, and potential side effects. Delivery of a SCPs is one strategy to improve knowledge of treatments received.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 217-217
Author(s):  
Sarah C. Reed ◽  
Janice Bell ◽  
Robin L. Whitney ◽  
Emma Blackmon ◽  
Katherine K. Kim ◽  
...  

217 Background: Treatment summaries (TSs) and survivorship care plans (SCPs) were expected to bridge patient-provider communication challenges and better address the unique needs of cancer survivors. While interest in TSs and SCPs has been growing, acceptance and implementation has been slow and findings from studies of their effectiveness have been mixed, overall. Our study examines independent associations of receipt of TSs and SCPs with psychosocial outcomes of cancer survivors. Methods: The study sample included survivors completing the 2012 LIVESTRONG Survey for People Affected by Cancer (n = 5,156). Logistic regression was used to model three distinct psychosocial outcomes: having relationship concerns (yes/no), distress (defined as a rating of 6 or higher on the NCCN Distress Thermometer), and moderate or severe cancer-specific worry (yes/no) as functions of TS receipt, SCP receipt and important confounding variables (age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, employment, income, education and health insurance). Results: Among cancer survivors, only 51% received a TS and only 16% received a SCP. Survivors who received a TS or SCP had significantly lower odds of relationship concerns (TS: OR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.52, 0.75; SCP: OR = 0.73; 95% CI 0.57, 0.94); distress (TS: OR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.65, 0.85; SCP: OR = 0.81; 95% CI 0.68, 0.97); and moderate or severe cancer-specific worry (TS: OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.67-0.85; SCP: OR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.67-0.92). Other covariates consistently associated with psychosocial concerns included younger age, being unemployed and income ≤ $60,000. Conclusions: Many cancer survivors do not receive a TS or SCP. Receipt of either document was associated with reporting better psychosocial outcomes, suggesting that TSs and SCPs may not be reaching cancer survivors with psychosocial health problems. Survivors with psychosocial concerns may benefit from targeted survivorship care.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 62-62
Author(s):  
Debra Spoljaric ◽  
Brittany Depp ◽  
Allison A. King

62 Background: The Commission on Cancer mandated the development and implementation of survivorship care plans (SCP) in 2015. Minimal evidence exists to suggest SCP are meaningful to survivors and primary care physicians (PCP). We sought to evaluate the usefulness of the SCP as perceived by both survivors and PCP. Methods: Phase I was 8-month pilot using a 7-page SCP detailing medical information and follow up sections addressed to the survivor and to the PCP. To evaluate patient and PCP views on the SCP, a telephone survey was created for patients and a two-page Likert scale survey for PCP was faxed. Phase I evaluations revealed 90% of survivors did not look past page 2 of the document and 16% of PCP felt it was too long and busy to read. The SCP was edited for a 3-page version and implemented in Phase II over 11-months. Results: In Phase I, 78 SCP were delivered to survivors, 58% were surveyed. Of PCP, 24% responded. In Phase II, 895 SCP were delivered, and 274 (31%) survivors surveyed. In Phase I and II, when asked to identify themselves as a cancer survivor, 282 (88%) confirmed and 21 (7%) were unsure. After reviewing the SCP, 93.1% understood their plan of care; 79.6% understood potential late effects; 33% were aware of support or resources available; 96% would recommend to another cancer survivor to get one. In Phase II, 16% (43) of PCP responded. Overall replies were positive: 61% found resource list helpful; 66% wanted more specific information about patient potential late effects; 87% agreed knowing symptoms of late effects is helpful. 70% wanted clarity on follow up tests needed and who should order. PCP overwhelmingly agreed (88%) the SCP is helpful. 90% agreed that knowing ongoing side effects of treatment was important. Conclusions: Survivors liked having their cancer treatment in one concise document and PCP physicians feel that the SCP is meeting their basic needs. PCP are interested in more specific long term side effects to monitor in their patients and direction on what follow-up tests are needed and who is ordering them. Further research is needed to study the impact of SCP on survivors’ health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e22522-e22522
Author(s):  
Jared David Acoba ◽  
Sharon Tamashiro ◽  
Marci Chock

e22522 Background: Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of cancer survivorship care. However, no study to date has focused on Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) cancer survivors. It has been well documented that Asian and NH/PI patients often suffer from inferior cancer outcomes compared to White patients, and differences in their experience with cancer survivorship care could contribute to this disparity. Methods: Surveys were sent to 1410 cancer survivors who were treated at a community cancer center with curative intent and who had received survivorship care plans between Jan 2014 and June 2018. The 26-item questionnaire evaluated patients’ perception of various aspects of their survivorship care plan and follow-up physician visits. All responses were anonymous. Results: Of the 360 patients who responded, 24% were White, 54% Asian, and 13% NH/PI. Compared to Whites, Asian and NH/PI patients were younger (p = 0.004), less educated (p = 0.004), and reported a lower income (p < 0.0005). Among all patients, 62% reported that the survivorship care plan was “very helpful” and 86% rated their satisfaction with physician follow-up visits as “very good” to “excellent.” There were no racial differences in satisfaction with either survivorship care plan or physician follow-up. In a multivariate binary logistic regression, Asians and NH/PI patients were significantly more likely to rate ongoing survivorship care as helpful compared to Whites, OR 4.08 (95%CI, 2.13-7.82). Conclusions: There were no racial differences in patient satisfaction with their survivorship care plans and follow-up care. However, Asian and NH/PI patients valued ongoing cancer survivorship care follow-up significantly more than White patients. Whether more extensive survivorship care would lead to improved outcomes among Asian and NH/PI cancer patients should be investigated further.


2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 759-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Ganz ◽  
Erin E. Hahn

Breast cancer survivors account for 23% of the more than 10 million cancer survivors in the United States today. The treatments for breast cancer are complex and extend over a long period of time. The post-treatment period is characterized by gradual recovery from many adverse effects from treatment; however, many symptoms and problems persist as late effects (eg, infertility, menopausal symptoms, fatigue), and there may be less frequent long-term effects (eg, second cancers, lymphedema, osteoporosis). There is increasing recognition of the need to summarize the patient's course of treatment into a formal document, called the cancer treatment summary, that also includes recommendations for subsequent cancer surveillance, management of late effects, and strategies for health promotion. This article provides guidance on how oncologists can implement a cancer treatment summary and survivorship care plan for breast cancer survivors, with examples and linkage to useful resources. Providing the breast cancer treatment summary and survivorship care plan is being recognized as a key component of coordination of care that will foster the delivery of high-quality cancer care.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will L Tarver ◽  
Bruce W Robb ◽  
David A Haggstrom

BACKGROUND As a result of improvements in cancer screening, treatment, and supportive care, nearly two-thirds of individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) live for 5 years after diagnosis. An ever-increasing population of CRC survivors creates a need for effective survivorship care to help manage and mitigate the impact of CRC and its treatment. Personal health records (PHRs) and survivorship care plans provide a means of supporting the long-term care of cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to characterize the usefulness of a CRC PHR and survivorship care plan and to describe the usability of these technologies in a population of CRC survivors. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess a PHR and survivorship care plan specifically targeting CRC survivors. METHODS Twenty-two patients with CRC were recruited from surgery clinics of an academic medical center and Veterans Affairs hospital in Indianapolis and provided access to an online Colorectal Cancer Survivor’s Personal Health Record (CRCS-PHR). Survey data were collected to characterize the usefulness of the CRCS-PHR and describe its usability in a population of CRC survivors. CRC survivors were surveyed 6 months after being provided online access. Means and proportions were used to describe the usefulness and ease of using the CRC website. Open-ended questions were qualitatively coded using the constant comparative method. RESULTS CRC survivors perceived features related to their health care (ie, summary of cancer treatment history, follow-up care schedule, description of side effects, and list of community resources) to be more useful than communication features (ie, creating online relationships with family members or caregivers, communicating with doctor, and secure messages). CRC survivors typically described utilizing traditional channels (eg, via telephone or in person) to communicate with their health care provider. Participants had overall positive perceptions with respect to ease of use and overall satisfaction. Major challenges experienced by participants included barriers to system log-in, lack of computer literacy or experience, and difficulty entering their patient information. CONCLUSIONS For CRC, survivors may find the greater value in a PHR’s medical content than the communication functions, which they have available elsewhere. These findings regarding the usefulness and usability of a PHR for the management of CRC survivorship provide valuable insights into how best to tailor these technologies to patients’ needs. These findings can inform future design and development of PHRs for purposes of both cancer and chronic disease management.


JMIR Cancer ◽  
10.2196/10692 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e10692
Author(s):  
Will L Tarver ◽  
Bruce W Robb ◽  
David A Haggstrom

Background As a result of improvements in cancer screening, treatment, and supportive care, nearly two-thirds of individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) live for 5 years after diagnosis. An ever-increasing population of CRC survivors creates a need for effective survivorship care to help manage and mitigate the impact of CRC and its treatment. Personal health records (PHRs) and survivorship care plans provide a means of supporting the long-term care of cancer survivors. Objective The purpose of this study is to characterize the usefulness of a CRC PHR and survivorship care plan and to describe the usability of these technologies in a population of CRC survivors. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess a PHR and survivorship care plan specifically targeting CRC survivors. Methods Twenty-two patients with CRC were recruited from surgery clinics of an academic medical center and Veterans Affairs hospital in Indianapolis and provided access to an online Colorectal Cancer Survivor’s Personal Health Record (CRCS-PHR). Survey data were collected to characterize the usefulness of the CRCS-PHR and describe its usability in a population of CRC survivors. CRC survivors were surveyed 6 months after being provided online access. Means and proportions were used to describe the usefulness and ease of using the CRC website. Open-ended questions were qualitatively coded using the constant comparative method. Results CRC survivors perceived features related to their health care (ie, summary of cancer treatment history, follow-up care schedule, description of side effects, and list of community resources) to be more useful than communication features (ie, creating online relationships with family members or caregivers, communicating with doctor, and secure messages). CRC survivors typically described utilizing traditional channels (eg, via telephone or in person) to communicate with their health care provider. Participants had overall positive perceptions with respect to ease of use and overall satisfaction. Major challenges experienced by participants included barriers to system log-in, lack of computer literacy or experience, and difficulty entering their patient information. Conclusions For CRC, survivors may find the greater value in a PHR’s medical content than the communication functions, which they have available elsewhere. These findings regarding the usefulness and usability of a PHR for the management of CRC survivorship provide valuable insights into how best to tailor these technologies to patients’ needs. These findings can inform future design and development of PHRs for purposes of both cancer and chronic disease management.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 83-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Sesto ◽  
William Gray Hocking ◽  
Douglas Wiegmann ◽  
Thomas Y Yen ◽  
Mindy Gribble ◽  
...  

83 Background: Survivorship care plans (SCP) are recommended to improve communication between breast cancer survivors (BCS), primary care, and oncology. Objective evaluation of survivor access of specific care plan content is challenging as commonly-used formats (e.g., paper or electronic file) prevent tracking of usage. This project aimed to evaluate the usage and usefulness of an electronic survivorship care plan (eSCP) that could track access and pages visited. Methods: We recruited 128 BCS from outpatient oncology clinics. 121 BCS received eSCP access via an online secure patient portal; seven received paper copies and are not included in this analysis. The research team customized the portal to track eSCP usage and page visits during the study period (at least 12 weeks of eSCP access). The eSCP consisted of four internal pages (Guide, Treatment Summary, Followup Plan, and Glossary) plus 21 external hyperlinks to survivorship resources. eSCP usefulness and understandability were evaluated using 10-item Likert scales: 1 (not at all useful/very hard to understand to 10 very useful/very easy to understand). Results: 90 out of 121 (74.38%) participants accessed the eSCP. The majority accessed the eSCP within two days of receiving access (N = 70/90, 77.8%) and visited 1 to 3 times (N = 81/90, 90%). Treatment Summary was the most frequently visited internal page (158 visits by 69 participants). Other page usage: Followup Plan (124 visits by 65 participants), Guide (113 visits by 62 participants), and Glossary (46 visits by 31 participants). 34 participants (37.78%) accessed external pages from the eSCP. Participants perceived the overall care plan as useful (8.78, 95% CI [8.38, 9.19]) and easy to understand (8.81, 95% CI [8.47, 9.16]). Conclusions: We found high usage rates among BCS provided an eSCP and the majority perceived the eSCP as useful and easy to understand. Based on favorable assessment and use, it is reasonable for eSCPs to serve as a tool to facilitate communication and care coordination for survivors, especially as access to and use of mobile device technology and electronic patient health portals increase. Minority and rural survivors access and use of such features may require further research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 233339281882291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maresi Berry-Stoelzle ◽  
Kim Parang ◽  
Jeanette Daly

Background: A cancer diagnosis is a monumental event in a patient’s life and with the number of cancer survivors increasing; most of these patients will be taken care of by a primary care provider at some point after their cancer therapy. The purpose of this study is to identify primary care physician’s needs to care for a patient who has had cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the physician members of the Iowa Research Network was conducted. The survey was designed to measure physician confidence in cancer survivor’s care, office strategies regarding cancer survivorship care, and resources available for patients with cancer. Two hundred seventy-four Iowa Research Network members were invited to participate in this survey. Results: Eighty-two physicians (30%) completed the questionnaire with 96% reporting that they are aware of their patient’s cancer survivorship status. Seventy-one physicians reported they were aware of cancer survivorship status by an oncologist sending a note to the office, 68 being diagnosed in their office, 61 by the patient keeping the office apprised, and 15 receiving a survivorship care plan. Physicians reported the top changes in a cancer survivor’s physical health as fatigue (81%) and pain (59%). Sixty-two physicians reported not feeling confident for managing chemobrain, cardiotoxicity (71%), and skin changes (35%). Male physicians were significantly more confident managing patients’ skin changes ( P = .049) and musculoskeletal disturbances than female physicians ( P = .027), while female physicians were significantly more confident managing early-onset menopause than male physicians ( P = .027). Conclusion: Most respondents are aware of their patients who are cancer survivors and are mostly confident in the care they provide for them related to long-term effects and side effects of cancer therapies with limited receipt of cancer survivorship care plans.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 10063-10063
Author(s):  
Diane Mary Radford ◽  
Alicia C. Staley ◽  
Jeffrey Landercasper ◽  
Leah L. Dietrich ◽  
Choua A Vang ◽  
...  

10063 Background: The Commission on Cancer (CoC) standard 3.3 became effective in 1/2015 requiring the delivery of a survivorship care plan (SCP) at the completion of curative treatment. Both the CoC and ASCO have recommended minimum requirements for SCPs, which should include both a treatment summary and follow up care plan. Many cancer patients use social media (SM) as a way to obtain support and information. We have shown previously that the majority of SM savvy cancer survivors (88.2%) do not receive SCPs ( J Clin Oncol 35, 2017 suppl 5S; abstr 104). We sought to determine the contents of the SCPs received. Methods: An IRB-approved survey was conducted via the online tool SurveyMonkey from 3/21/2016 to 4/2/2016. Patients were invited to participate via SM outlets reaching cancer-related communities including Twitter chats, Facebook groups, blogs, and targeted emails. Results: A total of 312 patients responded. 63% (194) had completed curative treatment (excluding endocrine therapy). Of these 11.8% (23) reported receiving an SCP at the end of treatment. Of 22 patients who responded, 9/22 (40.9%) found the SCP helpful, 11/22 (50.0%) somewhat helpful, and 2/22 (9.1%) not helpful. The table below shows the components of those SCPs received. Conclusions: Not only did a small percentage of patients receive SCPs but also no patient received a complete SCP per the CoC and ASCO recommendations. Particularly deficient was a description of late/long-term effects of treatment—only 36% received such information. Challenges exist in the delivery of complete SCPs. [Table: see text]


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 73-73
Author(s):  
Joanna Bodmann ◽  
Bridgett Ann Harr ◽  
Lisa A. Rybicki ◽  
Shlomo A. Koyfman ◽  
Jessica Lyn Geiger ◽  
...  

73 Background: At the Cleveland Clinic, a formal, patient (pt) specific survivorship care plan (SCP) is given to all pts who have completed definitive treatment (DT) for loco-regionally advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). We sought to assess the impact of this SCP on pt understanding of disease and treatment, potential symptoms of recurrence, and follow up (FU) expectations. Methods: In an unselected series of HNC survivorship eligible pts, the same IRB approved survey was administered both before SCP delivery and again at the next routine FU. The survey evaluated pts’ pre-existing knowledge of the information included in the SCP, and whether it had improved and was retained over time. Results: Pre and post-survey responses were collected from 29 pts who had completed DT between 7-23 months (mo) prior. Eighteen (62%) had a diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer, all were treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy and most (93%) received concurrent cisplatin. Only 24 of the 29 pts (83%) recalled receiving a SCP when queried at their next FU. However, even before SCP administration, most were well educated about their disease, its treatment, symptoms of recurrence, and FU expectations; all of which were reviewed in the SCP. The post-survey, administered at next FU, suggested that the only group to benefit from SCP administration were those who received it within 6 mo of DT. Conclusions: Pt understanding of disease, treatment and future expectations appears to improve after SCP administration only in those receiving their SCP within 6 mo of DT, likely reflecting ongoing pt education during subsequent FU visits. This small study supports current recommendations to administer SCPs within 6-12 mo of DT.[Table: see text]


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