Uterine Cancer
Conditions
Brief summary
This project aims to evaluate whether rapid first contact with the oncologist the same day or the next day after pathologic diagnosis contributes to a decreased time to treatment, decreased patient anxiety and increased patient satisfaction.
Detailed description
Time to treatment (time from disease diagnosis to initiation of treatment) impacts outcomes in uterine cancer. When controlled for stage, patients with longer time to treatment tend to have less favorable outcomes. Similarly, longer time to treatment has a negative impact on patients' quality of life and markers for anxiety. Our experience at this institution suggests that the time to referral (time from uterine cancer diagnosis and the patients' first encounter with the oncologist) is variable and presents the greatest opportunity for decreasing time to treatment. Among the factors that contribute to the time to referral are the time taken by the referring provider to relay the diagnosis to the patient, time taken to schedule an appointment with the specialist, and the patient's availability to keep an appointment. Virtual visits provide an opportunity to expedite consultation with the treating oncologist by removing some of the barriers that delay face-to-face visits. Among these barriers are patients' availability for a short notice face-to-face visit based on their work or family obligations, access to transportation, and mental preparedness.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVirtual visit
Virtual visit with oncologist following uterine cancer diagnosis prior to scheduled office visit.
BEHAVIORALOffice visit
Scheduled office visit with oncologist following uterine cancer diagnosis.
Sponsors
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Uterine cancer diagnosis on biopsy read by Cleveland Clinic Pathology Department * Patients must be willing to participate in a virtual visit as the initial meeting with an oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic. * Receive care at Fairview Hospital, Hillcrest Hospital or Cleveland Clinic Main Campus * Internet connected smartphone or internet connected computer with webcam * Participants must have email access * English speaking * Competent to make clinic decisions
Exclusion criteria
* No diagnosis of uterine cancer
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time to treatment following diagnosis to treatment initiation | 30 days | How long between diagnosis to treatment |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Amount of anxiety demonstrated when virtual visits are added | 30 days | Level of anxiety using GAD-7 |
| Number of patients willing to pay for a virtual visit | 30 days | Assess patients valuation of virtual visits by measuring their willingness to pay |
| Number of patients with improved satisfaction scores | 30 days | Determine whether the addition of a rapid virtual visit improves patients satisfaction |
Outcome results
None listed