Standardized versus personalized survivorship care plans for breast cancer survivors: A program evaluation

Nicole Rutkowski; Carrie MacDonald-Liska; Kelly-Anne Baines; Vicky Samuel; Cheryl Harris; Sophie Lebel

doi:10.5737/23688076314451456

Standardized versus personalized survivorship care plans for breast cancer survivors: A program evaluation

Can Oncol Nurs J. 2021 Nov 1;31(4):451-456. doi: 10.5737/23688076314451456. eCollection 2021 Fall.

Authors

Nicole Rutkowski¹, Carrie MacDonald-Liska², Kelly-Anne Baines³, Vicky Samuel⁴, Cheryl Harris⁵, Sophie Lebel⁶

Affiliations

¹ Doctoral Student, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON.
² Clinical Care Leader, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, ON.
³ Wellness Beyond Cancer Program, The Ottawa Hospital Ottawa Cancer Centre, Ottawa, ON.
⁴ Wellness Beyond Cancer Program, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, ON.
⁵ CPsych Clinician Investigator, Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON.
⁶ PPsych, Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON.

Abstract

The Wellness Beyond Cancer Program provides survivorship care plans (SCPs) to cancer survivors, as they transition from cancer centres back to their primary care provider (PCP) upon treatment completion. A program evaluation examined whether standardized SCPs resulted in comparable outcomes on perceived knowledge and patient activation as personalized SCPs. Breast cancer survivors who received either standardized or personalized SCPs completed pre- and post-surveys during their discharge appointment, which included an in-house measure on perceived knowledge, The Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions, and The Patient Activation Measure. Eighty-seven breast cancer survivors completed the surveys (personalized SCP n = 43; standardized SCP n = 44). Standardized SCPs resulted in comparable knowledge and activation outcomes as personalized SCPs. Cost-efficient standardized SCPs may help alleviate human resource constraints and may be considered for further evaluation and implementation in cancer centres.