Impact of an ePRO-informed clinical decision support tool on clinical discussions during a follow-up visit for post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors: Results from the HN-STAR trial (WF-1805CD).

509 Background: ASCO guidelines for care of post-treatment head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors recommend comprehensive management of late effects, comorbidities, health behaviors, and cancer risks. We developed HN-STAR: a clinical decision support tool based on electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) to improve implementation of HNC survivorship guidelines. Methods: We conducted a site-randomized controlled trial of oncology practices in the Wake Forest NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Base (NCT04208490) comparing HN-STAR to usual care during a routine clinic visit. Eligible disease-free survivors completed treatment for HNC <2 years prior. In both arms, prior to the visit, survivors completed validated ePROs for 25 concerns (symptoms, well-being, and health behaviors). Concerns were characterized as absent or mild vs. burdensome. The HN-STAR tool presented survivor’s burdensome concerns and tailored recommendations for clinician review during the visit. Clinicians selected management plans in HN-STAR for each concern. Post-visit, all survivors reported which concerns were discussed at the clinic visit (regardless of whether the concern was reported pre-visit). Comparisons between groups were made by mixed models adjusted for correlation within practices. We hypothesized that survivors in the HN-STAR arm would report 1) more concerns discussed, 2) more of their burdensome concerns discussed, and 3) a greater proportion of their burdensome concerns discussed, compared to survivors receiving usual care. Results: 335 survivors (mean age 64 years, 23% Hispanic or Non-White, 26% non-metropolitan) at 26 practices reported a mean of 7.7 burdensome concerns (standard deviation [sd] 4.6) pre-visit, most commonly dry mouth (71%), altered taste (54%), neck or shoulder stiffness (48%), and fatigue (40%). In adjusted models, survivors in the HN-STAR arm had a greater proportion of burdensome concerns discussed at the visit than survivors in the usual care arm (60% vs. 44%, p=0.01) (Table). Conclusions: In a large, national, diverse, and symptomatic sample of HNC survivors at community oncology practices, using an ePRO-informed clinical decision support tool increased the likelihood that burdensome concerns were discussed in clinic. Alerting providers to burdensome concerns and presenting guideline-concordant management options has promise for improving provider-survivor interactions. Clinical trial information: NCT04208490 . HN-STARN=136 Usual careN=199 p-value # concerns discussed, median (interquartile range [IQR]) 7.0 (4.0, 10.0) 5.0 (2.0, 9.0) 0.25 # burdensome concerns discussed, median (IQR) 4.0 (2.0, 7.0) 3.0 (1.0, 5.0) 0.10 Proportion of burdensome concerns discussed, mean (sd) 0.60 (0.32) 0.44 (0.32) 0.01

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Publication Details

Journal
JCO Oncology Practice
Published
2025-10-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1200/op.2025.21.10_suppl.509
Primary Topic
Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
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article
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article

Impact of an ePRO-informed clinical decision support tool on clinical discussions during a follow-up visit for post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors: Results from the HN-STAR trial (WF-1805CD).

Glenn Jay Lesser, Talya Salz, Thomas M. Atkinson, Jamie S. Ostroff et al.
JCO Oncology Practice
Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
article

Impact of an ePRO-informed clinical decision support tool on clinical discussions during a follow-up visit for post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors: Results from the HN-STAR trial (WF-1805CD).

Glenn Jay Lesser, Talya Salz, Thomas M. Atkinson, Jamie S. Ostroff, Andrew Salner, Sujata Patil, Anuja Kriplani, Kathryn E. Weaver, Deborah Mayer, Carol Kittel, Ryan T. Hughes, Kevin Charles Oeffinger, Emily V. Dressler, Sarah N. Price, Sankeerth Jinna, Chandylen L. Nightingale
article en

Abstract

509 Background: ASCO guidelines for care of post-treatment head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors recommend comprehensive management of late effects, comorbidities, health behaviors, and cancer risks. We developed HN-STAR: a clinical decision support tool based on electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) to improve implementation of HNC survivorship guidelines. Methods: We conducted a site-randomized controlled trial of oncology practices in the Wake Forest NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Base (NCT04208490) comparing HN-STAR to usual care during a routine clinic visit. Eligible disease-free survivors completed treatment for HNC <2 years prior. In both arms, prior to the visit, survivors completed validated ePROs for 25 concerns (symptoms, well-being, and health behaviors). Concerns were characterized as absent or mild vs. burdensome. The HN-STAR tool presented survivor’s burdensome concerns and tailored recommendations for clinician review during the visit. Clinicians selected management plans in HN-STAR for each concern. Post-visit, all survivors reported which concerns were discussed at the clinic visit (regardless of whether the concern was reported pre-visit). Comparisons between groups were made by mixed models adjusted for correlation within practices. We hypothesized that survivors in the HN-STAR arm would report 1) more concerns discussed, 2) more of their burdensome concerns discussed, and 3) a greater proportion of their burdensome concerns discussed, compared to survivors receiving usual care. Results: 335 survivors (mean age 64 years, 23% Hispanic or Non-White, 26% non-metropolitan) at 26 practices reported a mean of 7.7 burdensome concerns (standard deviation [sd] 4.6) pre-visit, most commonly dry mouth (71%), altered taste (54%), neck or shoulder stiffness (48%), and fatigue (40%). In adjusted models, survivors in the HN-STAR arm had a greater proportion of burdensome concerns discussed at the visit than survivors in the usual care arm (60% vs. 44%, p=0.01) (Table). Conclusions: In a large, national, diverse, and symptomatic sample of HNC survivors at community oncology practices, using an ePRO-informed clinical decision support tool increased the likelihood that burdensome concerns were discussed in clinic. Alerting providers to burdensome concerns and presenting guideline-concordant management options has promise for improving provider-survivor interactions. Clinical trial information: NCT04208490 . HN-STARN=136 Usual careN=199 p-value # concerns discussed, median (interquartile range [IQR]) 7.0 (4.0, 10.0) 5.0 (2.0, 9.0) 0.25 # burdensome concerns discussed, median (IQR) 4.0 (2.0, 7.0) 3.0 (1.0, 5.0) 0.10 Proportion of burdensome concerns discussed, mean (sd) 0.60 (0.32) 0.44 (0.32) 0.01

JCO Oncology PracticeVol. 21(10_suppl)
Hartford Hospital (US), Cleveland Clinic (US), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US), Duke Medical Center (US), Duke Cancer Institute, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 56%
Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
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