Neoplasms
Conditions
Keywords
Patient Navigation, Patient Satisfaction, Patient Engagement, Patient Empowerment, Patient Participation, Treatment Adherance
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to evaluate the pilot phase of ACS Cares to identify key implementation outcomes and assess effectiveness of the program to improve distress, enhance communication, and reduce missed appointments and healthcare utilization.
Detailed description
In 2023, the American Cancer Society (ACS) created a new program, ACS Cares, based on the Take the Fight experience and existing literature on non-clinical navigation. The goal of ACS Cares is to supplement existing navigation infrastructure to extend navigation services to a broader population of patients. This is accomplished through designating lower level, timely tasks to volunteers and allowing paid navigators to practice at the highest level of their license (e.g nurses proving symptom management, higher level coordination). The goal of this study is to evaluate the pilot phase of ACS Cares to identify key implementation outcomes and assess effectiveness of the program to improve distress, enhance communication, and reduce missed appointments and healthcare utilization.
Interventions
OTHERACS CARES Student Navigation
Student volunteers providing navigation support to patients, families and caregivers with a cancer diagnosis through an SDOH assessment.
Sponsors
University of Alabama at Birmingham
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* patients of health system's healthcare physician champions with a confirmed cancer diagnosis * patients with a confirmed cancer diagnosis * families of patients with a confirmed cancer diagnosis * Caregivers of patients with a confirmed cancer diagnosis
Exclusion criteria
* patients, families and/or caregivers without a confirmed cancer diagnosis * patients not receiving care from healthcare physician champions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Context, Training, and Process Measures: Service Penetrance and Process Measures: Service Penetrance | through study completion, an average of 1 year | • # of patients/caregivers approached for ACS CARES Median and range per volunteer • # of patients/caregivers who decline by refusal reason • # of patients/caregivers supported by ACS CARES Median and range per volunteer • # of patients/caregivers who received psychosocial distress screening Median and range per ACS CARES volunteer • # of patients/caregivers who received an SDOH screening Median and range per ACS CARES volunteer • # of follow-ups conducted Median and range per ACS CARES volunteer • # of in-person visits conducted Median and range per ACS CARES volunteer • # of shifts completed Median and range per ACS CARES volunteer • # of referrals received from health system team members |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Patient activation | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Patient activation |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Financial toxicity | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Financial toxicity |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Quality of life | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Quality of life |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: SDOH barriers | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | SDOH barriers |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Information Needs | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Information Needs |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Distress needs | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Distress needs |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Satisfaction with program | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Satisfaction with program |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Unmet needs | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Unmet needs |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: Patient-provider communication | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | Patient-provider communication |
| Measure the impact of ACS CARES on patient-reported outcomes: clinical trials knowledge | Baseline and 6 months into pilot | clinical trials knowledge |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of ACS CARES on treatment adherence and healthcare | baseline and 1 year | Cancer and treatment characteristics: cancer type, date of diagnosis, type of current treatment (Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Targeted Therapy, Immunotherapy, Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant, Hormone Therapy), total clinic appointments, # clinic appts missed/cancelled, total infusion appointments, # infusion appointments missed/cancelled, total radiation treatment appts, # radiation treatment appointments missed/cancelled, enrolled in a clinical trial (y/n), start date of clinical trial participation, ER visits, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, total cost of care. For new patients during baseline or intervention time periods, date of first clinic visit. |
| Context, Training, and Process Measures: Volunteer Satisfaction | 1 year | Volunteer Satisfaction Index |
| Sociodemographic differences between ACS CARES supported and non-ACS CAREs supported patients | baseline and 1 year | Patient characteristics: age, sex, gender (if available), race, ethnicity, insurance status, zip code, urban or rural residence, Area Deprivation Index category, and distance from cancer center (\<30 minutes, 30-60 minutes, \>60 minutes) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed