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Enhancing Breast Cancer Treatment Summaries: A Pilot Project at St. Francis and Stormont Vail Centers

This pilot project investigated the effectiveness of utilizing ASCO’s Breast Cancer Treatment Summary template following neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatments. With rising long-term breast cancer survivors, clear communication between oncologists and primary care providers (PCPs) is crucial. The project aimed to assess the time and personnel required for completing treatment summaries, the perceived usefulness to survivors and PCPs, and to gather feedback on the current summary structure. Findings revealed mixed responses regarding the perceived benefits and practicality of the summaries.

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Enhancing Breast Cancer Treatment Summaries: A Pilot Project at St. Francis and Stormont Vail Centers

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  1. Breast Cancer Treatment Summary: Pilot Project St. Francis Cancer Center Stormont Vail Cancer Center January 2010

  2. Background • Increasing numbers of men and women are long-term breast cancer survivors • Survivorship is a phenomenon attracting professional and lay attention • Communication between Oncologists and PCPs is essential for continuity of care • Survivors need information about their treatment, follow up, signs of recurrence and potential late adverse effects of treatment(s) • ASCO (2008) developed treatment plan and summary templates

  3. Preliminary Comments • Survivorship Committee gathered initial professional responses re: ASCO’s treatment summary initiative via conference calls, small group meetings • Responses mixed • Most oncology providers agree that communication between PCPs, survivors and oncologists is important and support the summaries in theory • Reluctant to use forms related to: • Staff time to complete • Perceived as another form that intrudes into practice time/day • Duplication of information that is already contained in oncologists’ progress notes that are forwarded to PCPs

  4. Project Purpose • To determine the amount of time needed to complete the breast cancer treatment summary following neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment • To determine which staff is most likely to complete the treatment summary • To determine PCPs’ and survivors’ perceived usefulness of summaries • To report findings to Survivorship Committee

  5. Project Design • Utilize ASCO’s Breast Cancer Treatment Summary • Target Population: Individuals completing neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy) for breast cancer • Clinic RNs at SFCCC & Nurse Navigators at SVCCC were designated to complete summaries

  6. Methodology • Tracking Excel Spreadsheet including • Patient Name • Type of treatment (neo vs adjuvant) • Completion of treatment date • Amount of time to complete treatment summary • Date that summary and letter of explanation mailed or faxed to PCP • PCP comments re: usefulness of summary • SFCCC utilized email as means of obtaining PCP comments • SVCCC • Date that patient received summary in person or when mailed • Patient comments re: usefulness of summary

  7. Project Results • # treatment summaries completed • 37 treatment summaries completed • Time to complete summaries • 35 to 60 minutes • Type of staff completing summary • Clinic RNs / Nurse Navigators • PCP responses • None • Patient responses • One response reported as “pleasantly ambivalent” • Staff responses • “A lot of work for time spent with no perceived real benefit.”

  8. Project Summary • ASCO template design geared for professionals vs lay • Need more user friendly summaries for survivors with specific reportable s/s and methods of surveillance • Usefulness to PCPs unknown • Treatment summary duplicates information in progress notes

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