Delivery of Cancer Survivorship Education to Community Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

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.

Analysis of a Pilot Study Delivering Cancer Survivorship Education to Community Healthcare Professionals Utilizing the Project ECHO model

“…[17-20] Our pilot study highlights the successful implementation of a new Project ECHO hub in Central Ohio and builds upon growing body of literature demonstrating the feasibility of the Project ECHO model to enhance provider knowledge in guideline-based cancer survivorship practices. [15, 16, 21, 22] Our study was able to demonstrate successful implementation of Moore’s framework 1-4: Participation, Satisfaction, Learning and Competence as demonstrated by a statistically significant increase in overall, selfefficacy, and knowledge domains in our survey results. [19]…”

“…Our Cancer Survivorship ECHO builds upon previous work developing a novel, multidisciplinary Project ECHO hub. [16] Several modifications were made to address limitations of that previous study. These included enhanced protected time for participants, RedCap utilization for secure delivery and collection of surveys, continuing medical education (CME) credit for each attended session, and gift card offerings to all participants for completion of both the pre- and postsurveys.…”

“…It has the potential to rapidly disseminate knowledge and expertise to providers throughout the world [17][18][19][20]. Our pilot study highlights the successful implementation of a new Project ECHO hub in Central Ohio and builds upon growing body of literature demonstrating the feasibility of the Project ECHO model to enhance provider knowledge in guideline-based cancer survivorship practices [15,16,21,22]. Our study was able…”

“…A previously developed needs assessment based on ASCO guidelines, NCCN guidelines and aligned with the four established tenets of survivorship care was utilized. [16] The needs assessment was delivered securely via RedCap to interested, eligible participants at each cohort site. The needs assessment invited participants to indicate level of interest on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from very uninterested to very interested in 18 cancer survivorship topics.…”

The Benefit of Nontraditional Rehabilitation Settings and Care Delivery Models for People Living With and Beyond Cancer

“…In a recent survey conducted at a cancer center survivorship care planning visit, patients indicated they were most interested in information and referrals related to physical rehabilitation, exercise, and nutrition 11. Definitive standards have not yet been established for education and training for oncology providers in survivorship care 12. Because of the importance of providing education throughout the cancer trajectory to address physical changes and late effects that result from cancer and treatment,13 rehabilitation professionals must strive to provide “just-in-time” access to services and interventions across the continuum, as excessive administrative barriers can hinder access to rehabilitation services.…”