Developing a survivorship care plan (SCP) delivery process for patients and primary care providers serving poor, rural, and minority patients with cancer

Bernard Tawfik; Shoshana Adler Jaffe; Lisa Mohler; Jamina Oomen-Hajagos; Inigo San Gil; Rachel Chamberlain; Suzanne Gagnon; Miria Kano; Amy Gundelach; Shawnia R Ryan; Janet Abernathy; Charles Wiggins; Andrew Sussman; Zoneddy Dayao

doi:10.1007/s00520-021-06043-w

Developing a survivorship care plan (SCP) delivery process for patients and primary care providers serving poor, rural, and minority patients with cancer

Support Care Cancer. 2021 Sep;29(9):5021-5028. doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06043-w. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Authors

Bernard Tawfik^{1

2}, Shoshana Adler Jaffe³, Lisa Mohler⁴, Jamina Oomen-Hajagos⁴, Inigo San Gil⁴, Rachel Chamberlain⁵, Suzanne Gagnon⁴, Miria Kano^{4

3}, Amy Gundelach⁴, Shawnia R Ryan⁴, Janet Abernathy⁴, Charles Wiggins⁶, Andrew Sussman^{4

3

5}, Zoneddy Dayao^{4

7}

Affiliations

¹ University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA. btawfik@salud.unm.edu.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of New Mexico, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA. btawfik@salud.unm.edu.
³ Behavioral Measurement and Population Science, Comprehensive Cancer Center Shared Resource, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.
⁴ University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.
⁵ Department of Family and Community Medicine, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Preventive Medicine, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of New Mexico, MSC 07-4025, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.

Abstract

Background: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) summarize patients' treatment and act as an education and communication tool between oncologists and primary care providers (PCPs). But creation and delivery of SCPs are challenging, labor intensive, and costly. The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNM CCC) treats a poor, rural, and minority patient population, and our purpose was to implement and evaluate a process to create and deliver SCPs to patients and PCPs.

Methods: Providers placed an electronic SCP order, basic information was imported, and staff compiled treatment details. Flagged SCPs were then ready for delivery, providers approved of and delivered the SCP at the next encounter, and the SCP was sent to the PCP.

Results: By April 2020, 283 SCPs were ordered, 241 (85.2%) were created by the designated staff, and 97 (34.2%) were given to patients after definitive therapy for breast cancer (59.1%), gynecological cancers (10.8%), prostate cancer (7.4%), colorectal cancer (5.1%), and lymphomas (4.8%). Of 97 SCPs eligible to be sent to PCPs, 75 (77.3%) were mailed or sent via EMR. Of the 41 (48.9%) SCPs sent via mail or fax, only 8 (8.3%) were received and 5 (5.2%) integrated.

Conclusions: This study shows that SCPs can be delivered to patients in a poor, rural, and minority patient population but that PCP receipt and integration of SCPs are poor. Future efforts need to ensure that an oncologist to PCP education and communication tool is able reach and be integrated by PCPs.

Keywords: Cancer survivorship; Delivery; Electronic health records; Primary care providers; Survivorship care plans.

MeSH terms

Continuity of Patient Care
Female
Health Personnel
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasms* / therapy
Patient Care Planning*
Primary Health Care
Survivorship

Abstract

MeSH terms

Grants and funding