Measuring patient-reported outcomes to improve cancer care in Canada: an analysis of provincial survey data.

Measuring patient-reported outcomes to improve cancer care in Canada: an analysis of provincial survey data. Curr Oncol. 2018 Apr;25(2):176-179 Authors: Tran K, Zomer S, Chadder J, Earle C, Fung S, Liu J, Louzado C, Rahal R, Moxam RS, Green E Abstract Patient-reported outcomes measures (proms) are an important component of the shift from disease-centred to person-centred care. In oncology, proms describe the effects of cancer and its treatment from the patient perspective and ideally enable patients to communicate to their providers the physical symptoms and psychosocial concerns that are most relevant to them. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-revised (esas-r) is a commonly used and validated tool in Canada to assess symptoms related to cancer. Here, we describe the extent to which patient-reported outcome programs have been implemented in Canada and the severity of symptoms causing distress for patients with cancer. As of April 2017, 8 of 10 provinces had implemented the esas-r to assess patient-reported outcomes. Data capture methods, the proportion of cancer treatment sites that have implemented the esas-r, and the time and frequency of screening vary from province to province. From October 2016 to March 2017 in the 8 reporting provinces, 88.0% of cancer patients were screened for symptoms. Of patients who reported having symptoms, 44.3% reported depression, with 15.5% reporting moderate-to-high levels; 50.0% reported pain, ...
Source: Current Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Curr Oncol Source Type: research