Patient satisfaction and behavioural intention in using the home medication delivery service in an ambulatory oncology centre

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has increased usage of medication delivery service (MDS) significantly. MDS improves adherence to medication and clinical outcomes. Objectives To study behavioral change factors that affect adoption of MDS, determine existing patient satisfaction level, and make recommendations to improve MDS adoption. Methods A single-institution, cross-sectional survey was conducted at the outpatient pharmacy of the largest ambulatory cancer centre in Singapore. The survey consisted of sections on demographics, Theory of Planned Behavior constructs and patient satisfaction questions. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used. Results A total of 881 patients responded. Respondents were mostly Chinese, female and subsidized patients, with a mean age of 62.4 years old. MDS use is strongly predicted by favourable attitude (OR 3.54, 95%CI 2.64–4.75; p < 0.001) and subjective norm (OR 3.07, 95%CI 2.30–4.09; p < 0.001) towards its use and greater perceived behavioral control (OR 2.48; 95%CI 1.86–3.30; p < 0.001). Being ill or frail has been identified as facilitators, while absence of face-to-face consultation and cost of delivery were barriers to the adoption of MDS. Encouragingly, the satisfaction level of our existing patients was generally high (80.2, SD16.7). Recommendation to improve MDS adoption targets facilitators and barriers identified and aims to further elevate patient satisfaction level. Establishment of a centralised pharmacy for MDS together with a call centre would be essential in the long run. Conclusions MDS is becoming increasingly important, in line with our national strategy. Implementation of suggested short-term and long-term measures will encourage its use.

Utilizing Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in ambulatory oncology in Alberta: Digital reporting at the micro, meso and macro level

Cancer patients experience numerous distressing symptoms and concerns across the course of their illness, which negatively influence their quality of life. Regardless of cancer type, unmanaged symptoms can lead to adverse downstream consequences. Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) can be used to inform patient care and lead to targeted symptom management but simply gathering this information does not improve outcomes for the patient. Patient generated information must be easy for the clinicians to access and interpret if it is to be used to inform care delivery in ambulatory oncology facilities. This pragmatic work responded to this need. One Canadian provincial ambulatory oncology jurisdiction implemented digital tracking of PROMs over time in the provincial Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to support full integration of PROMs into standard care workflows and processes. Due to an inability within the EMR for direct patient entry, a hybrid data-entry was designed where the patient completes a paper-based PROM in the waiting room, and after clinical review, a clinician documents this along with their clinical assessment in the EMR. Several digital dashboards were developed which report PROMs data at the micro (individual), meso (clinic) and macro (program) levels. Using PROMs routinely in these provincial practice settings has numerous benefits including enhanced patient-clinician communication, assisting with problem detection, management of symptoms, and improving outcomes for patients. There are over 60,000 unique patients represented in our PROMs database, and over 300,000 unique screening events captured. The PROMs data is now used at all levels of the provincial cancer jurisdiction to provide targeted person centred care (micro), to staff appropriately at a clinic or program level (meso), and for capacity planning for provincial programs (macro). A new provincial EMR is currently being implemented which has an associated patient portal. Based on the success of this work, integration of direct entry of PROMs by the patient prior to the appointment and an associated workflow for symptom management is underway in this jurisdiction.

Predictors of adherence to patient reported outcomes and psychosocial needs questionnaire in a culturally diverse ambulatory oncology setting: The My Wellness Check Program.

173 Background: Electronic health record (EHR) integrated symptom monitoring using patient reported outcomes (PRO) has been associated with improved outcomes, including health-related quality of life (HRQoL), in cancer survivors. However, these improvements have been documented through reasonably high completion rates of PRO measures in predominantly non-Hispanic White patient populations using only English language assessments. This study aimed to 1) examine factors associated with the completion of PRO assessments and 2) test differences in referrals to cancer support services between PRO responders and non-responders in a cohort of cancer survivors with significant racial, ethnic, and primary language diversity. Methods: A retrospective analysis (October 2019-February 2021) was performed for patients who were assigned the My Wellness Check (MWC) program at a tertiary, comprehensive cancer center. MWC is an EHR-based PRO assessment and referral program that uses PROMIS computer adaptive tests for depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue, and physical function as well as a psychosocial needs assessment. MWC PRO questionnaire is available in English or Spanish based on patient preference. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients were collected and incorporated in multivariable binary logistic regression model to examine factors associated with completion of the MWC PRO questionnaires. The frequency of referrals to cancer support services was compared by Chi-square test between MWC PRO responders and non-responders. Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated. Results: Of the 5306 patients eligible to complete MWC PRO questionnaire, the majority were female (64.1%), White (86.9%), Hispanic (65.8%), English speaker (55.4%), and 46.0% were responders. Patients who were younger than 65 (aOR 1.39; 95%CI 1.22-1.59; p < 0.0001), female (1.23; 1.09-1.41; p = 0.0019), non-Hispanic/Latino (1.43; 1.25-1.64; p < 0.0001), living with partners ( = 1.28; 1.13-1.46; p = 0.0001), and receipt of active treatment (1.37; 1.18-1.58; p < 0.0001) were significantly associated with MWC PRO completion. Responders were referred to cancer support services more often than non-responders (16.6% vs 5.4%, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Patient-level and clinical factors predict completion of PRO measures, and responders were more likely to have a referral to cancer support services. To optimize supportive care for ambulatory cancer patients, further research is needed to identify factors that can promote patient engagement, particularly in patients who are under-utilizers of such services.

Recovery of a quality improvement project during the COVID pandemic.

246 Background: Prior to COVID we undertook a QI project with the aim improving the documentation of a best possible medication history (BPMH) or medication reconciliation (MedRec) for patients initiating systemic therapy (ST) in ambulatory oncology, where care spans multiple providers and patients may be at increased risk of adverse drug events. While initial improvements were realized (16.7% and 3.9% increases for BPMH and MedRec, respectively), completion rates returned to baseline following the start of the COVID pandemic. Methods: Guided by the four-phase Quality Implementation Framework we sought to recover implementation of MedRec. We initially undertook a purposeful re-examination of the MedRec process (Phase 1) to identify barriers to conducting MedRec during COVID. This guided the tailored selection of Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) implementation strategies utilized during the successive phase of the project. During each phase the proportion of patients with documented BPMH or MedRec within 30 days of initiating ST out of those eligible was calculated. Results: Major barriers to conducting MedRec during COVID included reduced resources (time, human resources and physical resources), loss of dedicated staff, and change in workflow/ clinical models brought on by the introduction of virtual care. This informed our strategy to improve capacity to conduct MedRec (Phase 2) through the development and distribution of educational materials, revisions of professional roles, and creation of a new dedicated clinical team consisting of existing modified duty nurses to conduct MedRec. To support ongoing implementation (Phase 3), additional implementation strategies included the staged implementation scale-up, conduct of educational meetings/ outreach visits, facilitation, and provision of clinical supervision. The impact of each phase of implementation on BPMH and MedRec completion rates is summarized in Table. Conclusions: Recovery of a quality improvement intervention during COVID was realized through the utilization of a structured, implementation process model approach to identify and address barriers to implementation. Future work will focus on improvement of MedRec completion rates by clinicians, and on embedding processes into practice (Phase 4) to support sustainability of the intervention.[Table: see text]

System-wide depression screening implementation in ambulatory oncology care: Key strategies and early implementation outcomes.

260 Background: Oncology Care Model (OCM) requires cancer programs to provide depression screening during each care episode to meet the quality measure benchmark of 85% screening rate. This quality improvement (QI) project aims to assess 1) key strategies to integrate system-wide depression screening into routine cancer care, and 2) early outcomes of depression screening implementation. Methods: A mixed-method study design was used to assess strategies to implement routine depression screening in a southeast comprehensive cancer center between July 2019 and December 2020. Two top high-volume hematological oncology clinics that covers sixty percent of ambulatory care participated in the depression screening implementation. Data were collected using 1) depression screening completion rate during OCM performance periods, 2) needs assessment to identify barriers and facilitators of implementation, and 3) semi-structured interviews to assess staff and provider feedback on sustainable implementation strategies. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis for quantitative outcomes and thematic analysis for qualitative outcomes. Results: A total of 64 hematological oncology providers (n = 22) and staff (n = 42) participated in the depression screening implementation training during three OCM performance periods. Depression screening rate of total ambulatory oncology care increased from 12% (OCM-PR 5, Jul-Dec 19), to 51% (OCM-PR 6, Jan-Jun 20) to 77% (OCM-PR 7, Jul-Dec 20) after the two top-volume clinics integrated depression screening into clinic intake process. Themes emerged from needs assessment revealed multi-level implementation strategies including 1) patient education and psycho-oncological care, 2) staff training and practice modification, 3) provider education & interdisciplinary Care, 4) leadership, administration, and staffing support, and 5) clinical informatics collaboration to build the infrastructure for integrating depression screen with clinic intake in the electronic medical record (EMR). Feedback from staff and provider interviews indicated high receptiveness and buy-in, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve timely identification and triage of patients with depressive symptoms across all oncology care services. Conclusions: Depression screening is a key component of quality comprehensive cancer care that aims to provide timely identification and triage of cancer patients needing follow-up psychosocial care. Early implementation outcomes revealed significant improvement in depression screening completion rate after two clinics adopted depression screening into intake process. Further investigation is needed to refine system-wide implementation strategies across all ambulatory oncology sites and to assess long-term implementation outcomes meet the psychosocial care needs of cancer patients.

Implementing the cancer and aging research group (CARG) tool in the ambulatory oncology setting to drive informed treatment selection.

209 Background: Smilow Cancer Hospital is a NCI designated cancer center in Connecticut that has built a network of 15 community-based oncology (CBO) clinics. Older patients present with unique clinical challenges including multiple comorbidities, decreased functional status, and cognitive impairment. ASCO Geriatric Oncology guidelines recommend completing both a comprehensive geriatric assessment and a chemotherapy toxicity risk assessment on all oncology patients ≥65 years old for informed treatment selection. The CARG calculator is a simple, validated tool to assess chemotherapy toxicity risk in older patients with solid tumors. Despite ASCO guidelines, the existence of validated tools, and literature confirming improved patient outcomes, oncologists’ utilization of risk calculators is limited; therefore, we conducted a pilot CARG quality improvement initiative throughout our CBO network. Methods: 36 CBO physicians agreed to complete five CARG tools, document toxicity scores in the EMR, and complete a post-survey between March and June 2021. PDSA cycles included interventions of a hyperlink to the CARG tool incorporated in the EMR and creating a dot phrase built to simplify documentation. Education was provided on both the CARG and the survey. The survey captured perceived clinical value, time commitment, and barriers to implementation. Baseline data was collected during February 2021 and included geriatric patients receiving a new chemotherapy regimen for a solid tumor. Results: 180 consecutive new chemotherapy starts in geriatric patients were monitored. The CARG score utilization in new chemotherapy starts increased from 6.5% of new cases during the first month, to 26.4% in the third month. 82% of providers found the CARG score helpful in discussing chemotherapy risks with patients. In 32% of cases, the CARG score led to a decision to dose attenuate, and in 15% of cases, the CARG score led to a different treatment regimen. Most oncologists (65%) reported spending ≤5 minutes calculating toxicity, and 88% spent ≤10 minutes. 89% of oncologists reported the CARG score was worth the added time. Conclusions: This QI initiative demonstrates feasibility and increased use of the CARG geriatric chemotherapy toxicity tool in accordance with ASCO geriatric guideline-based care. Physician education and EMR workflow modification were utilized. In the CBO setting, oncologists found the CARG tool to be quick and helpful in discussing treatment risks with patients. Use of the CARG tool led to meaningful changes in treatment, including chemotherapy dose attenuation. Further study metrics such as palliative and supportive care referrals, ED visits, and hospitalizations will fuel sustainability.

Oncology clinic-based germline genetic testing for exocrine pancreatic cancer enables timely return of results and unveils low uptake of cascade testing

BackgroundTraditional medical genetics models are unable to meet the growing demand for germline genetic testing (GT) in patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer (PC). This study investigates the impact of an ambulatory oncology clinic-based GT model.MethodsFrom 2012 to 2021, patients with PC were prospectively enrolled and considered for GT. Two chronological cohorts were compared: (1) the preuniversal genetic testing (pre-UGT) cohort, which received GT based on clinical criteria or family history; and (2) the post-UGT cohort, where an 86-gene panel was offered to all patients with PC.ResultsOf 847 eligible patients, 735 (86.8%) were enrolled (pre-UGT, n=579; post-UGT, n=156). A higher proportion of the post-UGT cohort received prospective GT (97.4% vs 58.5%, p<0.001). The rate of pathogenic germline alterations (PGA) across both cohorts was 9.9%, with 8.0% of PGAs in PC susceptibility genes. The post-UGT cohort had a higher prevalence of overall PGAs (17.2% vs 6.6%, p<0.001) and PGAs in PC susceptibility genes (11.9% vs 6.3%, p<0.001). The median turnaround time from enrolment to GT report was shorter in the post-UGT cohort (13 days vs 42 days, p<0.001). Probands with a PGA disclosed their GT results to 84% of their first-degree relatives (FDRs). However, only 31% of informed FDRs underwent GT, and the number of new cases per index case was 0.52.ConclusionA point-of-care GT model is feasible and expedites access to GT for patients with PC. Strategies to increase the uptake of cascade testing are needed to maximise the clinical impact of an oncology clinic-based GT model.

Using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) Modelling to Forecast Symptom Complexity in an Ambulatory Oncology Clinic: Harnessing Predictive Analytics and Patient-Reported Outcomes

An increasing incidence of cancer has led to high patient volumes and time challenges in ambulatory oncology clinics. By knowing how many patients are experiencing complex care needs in advance, clinic scheduling and staff allocation adjustments could be made to provide patients with longer or shorter timeslots to address symptom complexity. In this study, we used predictive analytics to forecast the percentage of patients with high symptom complexity in one clinic population in a given time period. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling was utilized with patient-reported outcome (PRO) data and patient demographic information collected over 24 weeks. Eight additional weeks of symptom complexity data were collected and compared to assess the accuracy of the forecasting model. The predicted symptom complexity levels were compared with observation data and a mean absolute predicting error of 5.9% was determined, indicating the model’s satisfactory accuracy for forecasting symptom complexity levels among patients in this clinic population. By using a larger sample and additional predictors, this model could be applied to other clinics to allow for tailored scheduling and staff allocation based on symptom complexity forecasting and inform system level models of care to improve outcomes and provide higher quality patient care.

Commentary: Quality nutrition care is integral to the Oncology Care Model

The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is a US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) specialty model implemented in 2016, to provide higher quality, more highly coordinated oncology care at the same or lower costs. Under the OCM, oncology clinics enter into payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability for patients receiving chemotherapy treatment. In addition, OCM clinics commit to providing enhanced services to Medicare beneficiaries, including care coordination, navigation, and following national treatment guidelines. Nutrition is a component of best-practice cancer care, yet it may not be addressed by OCM providers even though up to 80% of patients with cancer develop malnutrition and poor nutrition has a profound impact on cancer treatment and survivorship. Only about half of US ambulatory oncology settings screen for malnutrition, registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) are not routinely employed by oncology clinics, and the medical nutrition therapy they provide is often not reimbursed. Thus, adequate nutrition care in US oncology clinics remains a gap area. Some oncology clinics are addressing this gap through implementation of nutrition-focused quality improvement programs (QIPs) but many are not. What is needed is a change of perspective. This paper outlines how and why quality nutrition care is integral to the OCM and can benefit patient health and provider outcomes.

Symptom Burden of Patients with Advanced Pancreas Cancer (APC): A Provincial Cancer Institute Observational Study

Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) experience many disease-related symptoms. ESAS-r measures the severity of 9 symptom domains and has been validated for use in the ambulatory oncology setting. We aimed to describe symptom burden at baseline for patients with APC treated with modern chemotherapy (CT), and to determine whether symptom burden at baseline is prognostic. Patients diagnosed with APC between 2012–2016, treated with ≥1 cycle of CT, who completed ≥1 ESAS-r were identified. Descriptive statistics were used to report symptom burden and common moderate-to-severe symptoms. A joint model was used to describe the trajectory of ESAS-r during follow-up while controlling for death. Multivariable Cox regression was used to identify independent predictors of death. Of 123 patients identified, the median age was 65 and 61% had metastatic disease. The median baseline ESAS-r total symptom distress score (TSDS) was 24. A total of 86% of patients had at least one symptom score of ≥4 at baseline, with the most common being: fatigue, nausea, anxiety, and shortness of breath. Median overall survival was 10.2 months. Baseline TSDS was not predictive for worse survival in the era of modern CT. Patients with APC have a high burden of cancer-associated symptoms and a high prevalence of moderate-to-severe symptoms. Early intervention has the potential to improve quality of life in this group of patients and should be investigated.