Lung Cancer Alliance, Washington, DC
Tara Perloff , Jennifer C. King , Maureen Rigney
Background: Clinical guidelines increasingly recommend an expansion of multidisciplinary care for oncology patients to include supportive and survivorship care. Despite recommendations, lung cancer patients may not access these services due to implementation challenges among health care delivery systems. Our study goal was to assess treatment and care planning from the perspectives of lung cancer patients and caregivers. Methods: A Community Needs Assessment survey was electronically distributed to lung cancer patients and caregivers. 820 people responded, including 471 patients and 349 caregivers. The overall completion rate was 72.6%. The survey assessed the patient’s care team, values-based discussions in care planning, discussions regarding palliative care, and survivorship care planning. Demographic information was collected to determine if patterns of care correlated with geographical or socioeconomic factors. Results: Less than 50% of patients reported having a conversation about their values and care goals with their treatment team before determining their treatment plan. Less than 30% of patients reported a mental health professional, social worker, palliative care specialist, or nurse navigator as part of their care team. Although research shows a survival benefit to lung cancer patients receiving palliative care, only 26.9% of active patients had discussed palliative care and 20.13% reported receiving it. For caregiver reported data, the patients receiving care had more advanced cancer and had often not survived. Of those who had completed treatment and survived more than 5 years beyond diagnosis, only 22% of patients and 15% of caregivers reported having a survivorship care plan. Conclusions: The majority of lung cancer patients and caregivers reported having not received palliative care, survivorship care plans, psychosocial support, or values-based discussions with their oncologist. Respondents were technology enabled and generally health literate indicating that these problems could be more widespread in rural, lower socioeconomic areas where lung cancer is common. Addressing these problems in health care delivery could positively impact the survivorship of lung cancer patients and their families.
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Abstract Disclosures
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First Author: Changchuan Jiang
2019 Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium
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2022 ASCO Annual Meeting
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2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium
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