Completion of Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaires Among Older Adults with Advanced Cancer

Marie A Flannery; Supriya Mohile; Eva Culakova; Sally Norton; Charles Kamen; J Nicholas Dionne-Odom; Grace DiGiovanni; Lorraine Griggs; Thomas Bradley; Judith O Hopkins; Jane Jijun Liu; Kah Poh Loh

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.07.032

Completion of Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaires Among Older Adults with Advanced Cancer

J Pain Symptom Manage. 2022 Feb;63(2):301-310. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.07.032. Epub 2021 Aug 8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing (M.A.F., S.N.), University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA. Electronic address: marie_flannery@urmc.rochester.edu.
² University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (S.M., E.C., C.K., G.D., K.P.L.), Rochester, New York, USA.
³ School of Nursing (M.A.F., S.N.), University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
⁴ University of Alabama (J.N.D.-O.), Birmingham, School of Nursing, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
⁵ University of Rochester Medical Center (L.G.), SCOREBOARD, Patient Advisory Board, Rochester, New York, USA.
⁶ Northwell Health NCORP (T.B.), New York, New York, USA.
⁷ Southeast Clinical Oncology Research Consortium NCORP (J.O.H.), Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA.
⁸ Illinois Cancer Care and Heartland NCORP (J.J.L.), Illnois, USA.

Abstract

Context: Systematic collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) reduces symptom burden and improves quality of life. The ability of older adults to complete PROs, however, has not been thoroughly studied.

Objectives: To determine whether older adults with advanced cancer received assistance completing PROs, the nature of the assistance, the factors associated with receiving assistance, and how the prevalence of assistance changed over time.

Methods: Data were obtained from a multisite cluster randomized controlled study of geriatric assessment (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02107443). Adults ≥70 years with advanced cancer completed multiple PROs at 4 time points (enrollment, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months). Factors associated with receipt of assistance were assessed with bivariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: The study included 541 adults (range 70-96 years, 49% female, mixed incurable cancer diagnoses). Twenty-eight percent (153/541) received assistance completing PROs. Of these, 42% received assistance from caregivers, 37% from research staff, and 15% from both. Factors associated with receiving assistance included older age [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 3.71, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.03-13.38], lower education level (3.92, 2.11-7.29), impaired cognition (1.90, 1.23-2.93), impaired functional status (2.16, 1.33-3.52), and impaired hearing (1.38, 1.05-1.80). Eighty percent of individuals who received assistance were identified at study initiation. Receiving assistance decreased over time from 28% to 18%, partially due to drop-outs.

Conclusion: Over a quarter of older adults with advanced cancer in this study received assistance completing PROs. Completing PROs is a key aspect of many clinical programs and cancer trials; assistance in completing PROs should be offered and provided.

Keywords: Older adult; advanced cancer; geriatric assessment; geriatric oncology; patient reported outcomes; questionnaire completion.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Caregivers
Female
Humans
Male
Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Neoplasms* / therapy
Patient Reported Outcome Measures
Quality of Life*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02107443

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data

Grants and funding