Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Iloabueke Gabriel Chineke, Marjorie Adams Curry, Giselle Dutcher, Steve Power, Leon Bernal-Mizrachi
Background: Pain and constipation are common among patients with cancer and remain inadequately controlled in many. Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) assessment of pain and constipation at the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Health System identified documentation to be below benchmark levels. A quality improvement initiative to improve pain and constipation management was conducted. Methods: Given the low baseline documentation rates for pain (60%) and constipation (20%), we aimed for a 20-percentage point increase within one year. Based on cause and effect analysis and questionnaires to providers, our multidisciplinary team developed a new provider note template to integrate nurse’s assessment of pain and constipation into the provider’s documentation. A new order panel was developed in the electronic medical record (EPIC) to link appropriate orders with the pain and constipation plan. Results: Integrating the initial nursing assessment into the provider note template increased pain score documentation from 66.7% to 100%, P < 0.01 and pain management plan from 65.3% to 86.4%, P = 0.06. Similarly, constipation assessment documentation improved from 20.4% to 100%, P < 0.01 and a documented constipation plan improved accordingly from 11.2% to 29.1%, P < 0.01. As a result of this intervention, pain control at the 3rd clinic visit improved from 61.5% to 86.8%, P < 0.01. Emergency room visits related to pain and constipation decreased (16.2% to 14.9%, P = 0.19) and hospitalizations marginally increased (1.6% to 3.6%) during the study period. Conclusions: A standardized visit template and mandated assessment of pain and constipation exceeded the goal for improvement in documentation and positively impacted outcomes.
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Abstract Disclosures
2018 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Giselle Dutcher
2022 ASCO Quality Care Symposium
First Author: Aditya V. Shreenivas
2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Winette T.A. Van Der Graaf
2021 ASCO Annual Meeting
First Author: Harold Nathan C. Tan