Treatment Summaries in a Head and Neck Cancer Clinic: Student-run Interprofessional Approach to Improving Cancer Survivorship

Background, including statement of problem, and aims:

The treatment summary (TS) is a comprehensive cancer care record containing information regarding provider names and contact information, cancer diagnosis, tumor characteristics and treatment details. While the usefulness of treatment summaries has been evaluated in other cancer types, it has yet to be studied in Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) survivors. We are an interdisciplinary group comprised of a pharmacy, nursing, and medicine student. We aim to determine if receiving a TS enhances patient understanding and recall of cancer and treatment details, improves patient self-efficacy, and serves as a useful patient tool after completion of HNC therapy.

Design or methodology:

This will be achieved through a non-interventional survey study conducted at Vanderbilt Medical Center from January to June 2022. Patients will be given a TS specific to their diagnosis (prepared by the team). They will then be surveyed about details of their diagnosis and treatment, and regarding the perceived usefulness of a TS form at baseline (completion of treatment). Patients will be re-surveyed about their diagnosis and treatment, and usefulness of the TS at their one month follow-up visit to determine if the TS improved their ability to recall these details.

Results (data, outcomes and evidence):

We hypothesize that if patients receive a cancer TS after completion of their cancer care, then the accuracy and understanding of patient reported cancer related diagnosis and treatment details will significantly improve. For each of the HNC history questions, McNemar test and/or mixed logistic regression models will be used to analyze the effect of keeping and using the summary of treatment. The pre and post-TS patient feedback surveys will be analyzed as ordinal data.

Conclusion:

The TS is an essential component of a survivorship care plan and should be given to all head and neck cancer survivors at the completion of their therapy. This study will help us better understand the patient-derived benefits of receiving a TS upon completion of cancer therapy.

Reflections/lessons learned/implications:

This interdisciplinary group was able to learn from one another about how to prioritize a patient’s medical as well as mental and social health. Each member of the team is uniquely trained in different areas and so it was valuable to collaborate on a singular project towards improving patient education.

Core criteria:

- Inclusion of a student/learner on the author or presenter team
- Measurable learning and/or health outcomes (represented by survey results)