Assessing key stakeholders' knowledge, needs, and preferences for cancer survivorship care plans.
Zullig, LL; Berkowitz, C; Miller, J; Ramos, K; Dolor, R; Koontz, BF; Zafar, Y; Allen, DH; Tenhover, J; Bosworth, HB
Published in: Journal of Clinical Oncology
30 Background: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are individualized documents that summarize cancer treatment received and provide guidelines for monitoring and maintaining survivors’ health. While SCPs are intended to facilitate care coordination, they are rarely used in the primary care setting. We aimed to understand the informational needs and delivery preferences of PCPs, cancer survivors, cancer specialists, and nurses related to SCPs. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of PCPs (n = 10), cancer specialists (n = 5), nurses (n = 5), and cancer survivors (n = 5). After reviewing a sample SCP based on the published ASCO template, participants were asked about acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, implementation, and sustainability. De-identified transcripts were qualitatively analyzed using NVivo software. Results: 25 interviews were completed (RR 45%). Emergent themes included informational needs and delivery preferences. Informational needs include clarifying roles and responsibilities of allied professionals; the roles of the PCP for follow-up care should be clear, outlined and with content summarizing their responsibilities regarding screening, and surveillance. Additionally, SCPs should emphasize side and late effects of cancer treatment for the benefit of patients and providers. Delivery preferences include using sustainable and accessible electronic formats to improve provider communication and streamlining documentation for the intended audience. Electronic SCPs could be frequently updated with pertinent information about patient needs and care over time. Conclusions: Understanding the needs and preferences of PCPs may address current limitations of SCPs in coordinating survivor care. Future SCPs may be electronic and accessible, with content and guidance targeted to the PCP’s role.
