Our pilot study aimed to evaluate the needs of community oncology providers with regard to cancer survivorship education, develop a survivorship curriculum based on the needs assessment, and evaluate the acceptability of the Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model for delivery of the survivorship curriculum. A needs assessment was delivered to participants in suburban community cancer practices, and a curriculum was developed based on the results. Participants were enrolled in an ECHO curriculum consisting of 6 sessions from October to December 2019. Participants included registered nurses (RN), registered dietitians (RD), clinical social workers (LCSW), advanced practice providers (APP), radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists (MD). Participants were invited to participate in exit interviews designed to better evaluate the participant experience. Ninety percent of needs assessment participants (n = 37) expressed an interest in cancer survivorship education. Eight participants from 3 community practices in suburban Connecticut enrolled in the ECHO curriculum. Four participants (50%) agreed to participate in exit interviews. Five themes emerged from the exit interviews: interest in survivorship, time, positive experience, empowerment, and community. Our Survivorship ECHO pilot demonstrated the acceptability of the Project ECHO® model for delivering cancer survivorship education to oncology providers. Further research confirming the feasibility of this model in additional oncology provider settings is needed.
e24082 Background: Long term cancer survivorship care is an integral part of the overall arc of oncology care. There is currently no standard of care for survivorship care beyond dissemination of a Survivorship Care Plan and data evaluating current models is limited. Furthermore, the most current Commission on Cancer recommendations suggest that a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer survivorship will best address the late and long-term side effects that survivors experience1. Methods: A multi-disciplinary adult cancer survivorship clinic at Yale Cancer Center and Yale New Haven Hospital was established in October 2006. This clinic is overseen by a medical oncologist and features the medical expertise of four distinct providers: an advance practice practitioner (such as an APRN or PA), a licensed clinical social worker, an oncology board-certified registered dietitian and an oncology board-certified physical therapist. Survivors meet with each provider for 30 minutes. A follow-up visit is scheduled 2-3 months later to assess the interventions discussed at the first visit and make modifications as necessary. This comprehensive approach allows the providers to address a wide array of late and long-term side effects from cancer treatment, including fear of recurrence, cancer related fatigue and weight management. Beginning with evidence-based research in their respective fields, each provider can create an individualized plan to address these concerns. Results: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Distress Thermometer demonstrated an almost 75% decrease in distress in cancer survivors pre- to post initial visit (n = 1,116 patients). Additionally, cancer-related fatigue, as measured by the MD Anderson Brief Fatigue Inventory, decreased by almost 50% from first to second visit (n = 313 patients). Conclusions: This poster is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a multi-disciplinary cancer survivorship clinic to address the late and long-term side effects of cancer survivors. Further research evaluating the correlation between improved access to long term survivorship care, as well as the health care providers required to provide optimal care in this setting, is needed. 1. American College of Surgeons Comminssion on Cancer, https://www.facs.org/-/media/files/quality-programs/cancer/coc/optimal_resources_for_cancer_care_2020_standards.ashx . Accessed February 10th, 2020.
11032 Background: Cancer survivorship care is an integral part of oncology care. Although oncologists overwhelmingly demonstrate a desire to be a part of their cancer survivors’ care and management, only 60% of oncologists feel comfortable promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors, screening and prevention care. There is currently no standard of care for survivorship care education and data evaluating current educational models is limited. Methods: Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) utilizes telehealth to promote long-distance learning and sharing of best practices. We utilized the Project ECHO model to deliver a survivorship curriculum in 6 hourly, biweekly sessions from October 2019 to December 2019. The curriculum was aligned with the 4 central tenets of survivorship care and was developed based on a needs assessment. Recruited participants included registered nurses (RN), registered dietitians (RD), advanced practice providers (APP), radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. Participants were enrolled in either a local ECHO curriculum or a national ECHO curriculum. Local Connecticut participants were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to evaluate their experience. Results: Eight participants including 3 MDs, 1 APP, 1 SW and 3 RNs from 3 community oncology clinics in suburban Connecticut enrolled in the local ECHO curriculum. Twenty-eight participants including 17 RDs, 2 MDs, and 3 APPs from 13 hospital and community practices enrolled in the national ECHO curriculum. Four participants (50%) agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews. Motivations to participate included ease of participation and interest in survivorship. Participants described a positive experience, citing a well-structured curriculum and sense of community as highlights. Two participants described the sessions as empowering, leading to more discussions and engagement with survivors. All participants described an increased awareness of resources available for cancer survivors. Areas for improvement included greater assistance with technology and session time management. Concomitant patient care was the most cited barrier to participation. Conclusions: This pilot study is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of the Project ECHO model for delivering cancer survivorship education to community oncology providers. Further research evaluating the correlation between improved provider knowledge and survivorship care outcomes is needed.
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