scholarly journals Population-Based Longitudinal Study of Follow-Up Care for Patients With Colorectal Cancer in Nova Scotia

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Urquhart ◽  
Amy Folkes ◽  
Geoffrey Porter ◽  
Cynthia Kendell ◽  
Martha Cox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Continuity Of Care ◽  
Guideline Adherence ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Follow Up Care

Transitioning routine follow-up to primary care could potentially increase guideline adherence by improving access to and continuity of care.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Cancer Survivors in Nova Scotia, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-25
Author(s):  
Soleil Chahine ◽  
Gordon Walsh ◽  
Robin Urquhart
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Patient Navigator ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Follow Up Care

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and examine whether sociodemographic factors and health care providers accessed are associated with needs being met. Methods: All Nova Scotia survivors meeting specific inclusion and exclusion criteria are identified from the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry and sent an 83-item survey to assess psychosocial concerns and whether and how their needs were met. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) and Chi-square analyses are used to examine associations between sociodemographic and provider factors and outcomes. Results: Anxiety and fear of recurrence, depression, and changes in sexual intimacy are major areas of concern for survivors. Various sociodemographic factors, such as immigration status, education, employment, and internet use, are associated with reported psychosocial health and having one’s needs met. Having both a specialist and primary care provider in charge of follow-up care is associated with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher degree of psychosocial and informational needs met compared to only one physician or no follow-up physician in charge. Accessing a patient navigator also is significantly associated with a higher degree of needs met. Conclusions: Our study identifies the most prevalent psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and the factors associated with having a higher degree of needs met, including certain sociodemographic factors, follow-up care by both a primary care practitioner and specialist, and accessing a patient navigator.

A Decision Support System (DSS) for Colorectal Cancer Follow-Up Program via a Semantic Framework

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalpdrum Passi ◽  
Hongtao Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Support System ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Semantic Framework ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
The Web

This paper offers insights into evolving a decision support system (DSS) to aid primary care physicians and/or nurses in the post-surgical care of patients with Colorectal Cancer in a clinical setting. Presently, the oncologists in the cancer center, who are familiar with the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), are primarily responsible for the provision of follow-up care to their patients on the basis of the CPGs; in contrast, the attending primary care physician and/or nurse assisting the oncologist may be unfamiliar with these guidelines. These caregivers would, therefore, either require hardcopies of the CPGs or can be aided via a DSS for them to be able to provide the appropriate follow-up care for the respective cancer patients. Clearly, the Colorectal Cancer follow-up CPGs have to be analyzed and the ontology representing the knowledge embedded in the guidelines designed prior to realizing such a DSS. The designed ontology is often coded into Web Ontology Language (OWL) as a standard ontology that can be accessed through the Web. The authors' research team designed and presented the semantic framework of the web application, using the designed ontology that combines the current Web technology with database storage to achieve a unified development of the DSS. The authors also designed a user-friendly interface of the Web application to provide medical practitioners the functionality of the CPGs and the flexibility to customize the desired follow-up care schedule. The resulting DSS provides the physicians with follow-up program for the Colorectal Cancer patients based on the CPGs. The system was built using the semantic framework for the follow-up program and queries on the system are executed through SPARQL query engine.

scholarly journals Using administrative health data to inform health service planning for specialist cancer care in Nova Scotia, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Urquhart ◽  
Lynn Lethbridge
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Health Service Planning ◽  
Cancer Centre ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
Over Time

IntroductionResearch has demonstrated that primary care providers can safely and effectively provide follow-up care after a person has received treatment for cancer. Yet, discharge to primary care after cancer treatment is variable, despite the fact that cancer systems are challenged to provide follow-up care given constrained cancer specialist resources. Objectives and ApproachTo inform cancer system planning, we examined (1) cancer centre routine follow-up (CC-FUP) care for prevalent cancer types and (2) changes in CC-FUP over time. From the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry, we identified all persons diagnosed in Nova Scotia, Canada, with an invasive breast, colorectal, gynecological, or prostate cancer between 01/01/2006 and 31/12/2013. We linked this dataset to cancer centre/clinic data and identified a non-metastatic cancer survivor cohort (n=12,267). Descriptive statistics were computed to describe patterns of care. Negative binomial regression was used to examine changes over time for both CC-FUP and all cancer centre visits, adjusting for other covariates. ResultsNearly half of survivors (48.4\%) had at least one CC-FUP visit, which varied by disease site (range: 30.2-62.4\%). Variation existed across providers, with six oncologists providing 34.7\% of the CC-FUP visits to the study population. Year of diagnosis was associated with receipt of CC-FUP care, with each successive calendar year associated with an 8\% increase in CC-FUP visits (IRR=1.08, 95\%CI=1.07-1.10). Similarly, each successive calendar year was associated with a 14\% increase in all cancer centre visits (IRR=1.14, 95\%CI=1.13-1.15). Results were shared with cancer system decision-makers at regular intervals to inform ongoing analyses. Conclusion/ImplicationsBoth the number of CC-FUP visits and all visits increased over time, with the latter at a greater rate. The increases were much higher than assumed by cancer system decision makers (2\% increase per year) for resource planning, demonstrating the value of population-based administrative data to informing health service planning.

scholarly journals Use of physician services during the survivorship phase: a multi-province study of women diagnosed with breast cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Kendell ◽  
K.M. Decker ◽  
P.A. Groome ◽  
M.L. McBride ◽  
L. Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
The Mean

Introduction Oncologists have traditionally been responsible for providing routine follow-up care for cancer survivors; in recent years, however, primary care providers (pcps) are taking a greater role in care during the follow-up period. In the present study, we used a longitudinal multi-province retrospective cohort study to examine how primary care and specialist care intersect in the delivery of breast cancer follow-up care.Methods Various databases (registry, clinical, and administrative) were linked in each of four provinces: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Population-based cohorts of breast cancer survivors were identified in each province. Physician visits were identified using billings or claims data and were classified as visits to primary care (total, breast cancer–specific, and other), oncology (medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgery), and other specialties. The mean numbers of visits by physician type and specialty, or by combinations thereof, were examined. The mean numbers of visits for each follow-up year were also examined by physician type.Results The results showed that many women (>64%) in each province received care from both primary care and oncology providers during the follow-up period. The mean number of breast cancer–specific visits to primary care and visits to oncology declined with each follow-up year. Interprovincial variations were observed, with greater surgeon follow-up in Nova Scotia and greater primary care follow-up in British Columbia. Provincial differences could reflect variations in policies and recommendations, relevant initiatives, and resources or infrastructure to support pcp-led follow-up care.Conclusions Optimizing the role of pcps in breast cancer follow-up care might require strategies to change attitudes about pcp-led follow-up and to better support pcps in providing survivorship care.

A Decision Support System (DSS) for Colorectal Cancer Follow-Up Program via a Semantic Framework

2018 ◽  
pp. 746-770
Author(s):  
Kalpdrum Passi ◽  
Hongtao Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Support System ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Semantic Framework ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
The Web

This paper offers insights into evolving a decision support system (DSS) to aid primary care physicians and/or nurses in the post-surgical care of patients with Colorectal Cancer in a clinical setting. Presently, the oncologists in the cancer center, who are familiar with the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), are primarily responsible for the provision of follow-up care to their patients on the basis of the CPGs; in contrast, the attending primary care physician and/or nurse assisting the oncologist may be unfamiliar with these guidelines. These caregivers would, therefore, either require hardcopies of the CPGs or can be aided via a DSS for them to be able to provide the appropriate follow-up care for the respective cancer patients. Clearly, the Colorectal Cancer follow-up CPGs have to be analyzed and the ontology representing the knowledge embedded in the guidelines designed prior to realizing such a DSS. The designed ontology is often coded into Web Ontology Language (OWL) as a standard ontology that can be accessed through the Web. The authors' research team designed and presented the semantic framework of the web application, using the designed ontology that combines the current Web technology with database storage to achieve a unified development of the DSS. The authors also designed a user-friendly interface of the Web application to provide medical practitioners the functionality of the CPGs and the flexibility to customize the desired follow-up care schedule. The resulting DSS provides the physicians with follow-up program for the Colorectal Cancer patients based on the CPGs. The system was built using the semantic framework for the follow-up program and queries on the system are executed through SPARQL query engine.

scholarly journals Follow-Up Care for Breast and Colorectal Cancer Across the Globe: Survey Findings From 27 Countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 1394-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Mollica ◽  
Deborah K. Mayer ◽  
Kevin C. Oeffinger ◽  
Youngmee Kim ◽  
Susan S. Buckenmaier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Survivorship Care ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Control Plan ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Follow Up Care

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to describe follow-up care for breast and colorectal cancer survivors in countries with varying levels of resources and highlight challenges regarding posttreatment survivorship care. METHODS We surveyed one key stakeholder from each of 27 countries with expertise in survivorship care on questions including the components/structure of follow-up care, delivery of treatment summaries and survivorship care plans, and involvement of primary care in survivorship. Descriptive analyses were performed to characterize results across countries and variations between the WHO income categories (low, middle, high). We also performed a qualitative content analysis of narratives related to survivorship care challenges to identify major themes. RESULTS Seven low- or /lower-middle-income countries (LIC/LMIC), seven upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), and 13 high-income countries (HICs) were included in this study. Results indicate that 44.4% of countries with a National Cancer Control Plan currently address survivorship care. Additional findings indicate that HICs use guidelines more often than those in LICs/LMICs and UMICs. There was great variation among countries regardless of income level. Common challenges include issues with workforce, communication and care coordination, distance/transportation issues, psychosocial support, and lack of focus on follow-up care. CONCLUSION This information can guide researchers, providers, and policy makers in efforts to improve the quality of survivorship care on a national and global basis. As the number of cancer survivors increases globally, countries will need to prioritize their long-term needs. Future efforts should focus on efforts to bridge oncology and primary care, building international partnerships, and implementation of guidelines.

Comparative study of the perceptions of continuity of care of CRC survivors transitioned to primary care.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 96-96
Author(s):  
Jeffrey James Sisler ◽  
Zoann Nugent ◽  
Tara Carpenter-Kellett ◽  
Joel Roger Gingerich
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Continuity Of Care ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Transfer Of Care ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Follow Up Care ◽  
Group Rate ◽  
After Cancer ◽  
The Impact

96 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients are increasingly being discharged to a primary care provider (PCP) for follow-up care. This study used a pre-post design to evaluate the impact of the Moving Forward After Cancer(MFAC) program at CancerCare Manitoba on patient perceptions of continuity of care. Methods: The MFAC program was introduced in 2010 to support transfer of care to primary care and includes transitional appointments (TAs) and survivorship care plans. The pre-implementation (PRE) group was a random sample of patients on the provincial cancer registry diagnosed in 2008/09 with Stage II / III CRC. The post-implementation (POST) group was recruited in oncology clinics after their TA over four years starting in 2010. Both groups completed the same mailed survey. Respondents were asked to identify the main provider(s) of their follow-up care. Those indicating a PCP completed the Patient Continuity of Care Questionnaire (PCCQ) which assesses continuity upon discharge with scoring between 5 and 25. Quality of life, disease, treatment, and demographic data were collected. Results: There were 246 responses in the PRE group (rate of 68.3%) and 83 (66%) in the POST. The POST group was significantly younger, more urban and further from diagnosis. It included more Stage III and rectal cancer patients who received more treatment. Comparing the subset of both groups (106 vs 65) who described a PCP as a main provider, the POST group demonstrated higher scores on the PCCQ (24.0 v 22.8, p=0.0065) and on two of its subscales. This finding persisted when tested for the impact of differences between the two groups in stage, site, age and treatment. The most common pattern of provider involvement in follow-up was the “FP alone,” which rose from 19% in the PRE group to 54% in the POST (p<0.0001). The proportion of participants who felt “adequately prepared” for their transfer of care was significantly increased (71 vs 91%, p=0.003). Conclusions: A formal information sharing process with CRC patients at time of transition to primary care follow-up improved their evaluation of continuity of care. Significant shifts were seen in the locus of care from oncology to primary care settings consistent with the intent of the MFAC program.

scholarly journals Population-Based Longitudinal Study of Follow-Up Care for Breast Cancer Survivors

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Grunfeld ◽  
David C. Hodgson ◽  
M. Elisabeth Del Giudice ◽  
Rahim Moineddin
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Substantial Variation ◽  
Follow Up Care

This study shows substantial variation in adherence to guideline recommendations, with both overuse and underuse of surveillance visits and tests.

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