Utilization of a psychosocial oncology consult service pre-post a one-session educational intervention.

e24115 Background: Psychosocial oncology consultation services (POCS) address the psychosocial needs of hospitalized patients with cancer and are associated with improved outcomes; however, utilization and referral appropriateness remain variable. Provider knowledge gaps and lack of familiarity with referral indications may contribute to underutilization or non-specific consults. This study evaluated whether a one-time educational intervention was associated with changes in provider knowledge and utilization patterns of POCS. Methods: A single-site educational intervention focused on indications for POCS was delivered to Internal Medicine residents and attending physicians at an urban academic medical center. Anonymous surveys assessed providers’ familiarity and intent to utilize POCS pre- and post-intervention. In parallel, consult data were extracted for the 3 months pre- and post-intervention focused on units staffed by Internal Medicine. Consultation reasons were coded as one or more of the following: (1) Psychiatric, (2) General Coping, (3) Specific Cancer-related Coping, (4) Care Engagement, and (5) Non-specific/Other. Primary outcomes were change in provider knowledge, consult volume and specificity. Pre–post differences were analyzed using Chi-square and Mann Whitney U tests. Results: Surveys were completed by 24 providers pre-intervention and 15 post-intervention, the majority were residents. Prior to educational intervention, 46% were not aware of the POCS. Following intervention, providers demonstrated increased familiarity with POCS (p < .001) and greater intention to consult (p < .001)During the pre-intervention period, 70 consults were placed [M age = 58.3 (SD = 14) 29% Black, 19% Hispanic, 66% female], compared with 83 post-intervention [M age = 61.3 (SD = 14%), 36% Black, 20% Hispanic, 68% female], representing an 18.6% increase in consult volume. Table 1 shows pre-post changes in consultation reason proportions. There was a non-statistically significant increase in consults for general and specific cancer-related coping concerns. Conclusions: A one-time educational intervention was associated with improvements in familiarity with and intention to consult POCS, as well increased consult volume. While not statistically significant, there was a higher proportion of appropriate and cancer-specific consult reasons post-intervention. While educational intervention may feasibly improve familiarity and utilization of POCS, a one-time intervention may have limited reach. Future work could evaluate the benefits of a “higher dose” educational intervention. Pre- and post-intervention consultation reasons. Consultation reason Pre % (n) Post % (n) p-value Psychiatric 37.1 (26) 24.1 (20) .973 General Coping 24.3 (17) 48.2 (40) .994 Cancer-related Coping 47.1 (33) 59 (49) .580 Care Engagement 14.3 (10) 10.8 (9) .357 Non-specific/Other 7.1 (5) 14.5 (12) .291