A DNP QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO GUIDE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP REFERALS FROM A BREAST SURGICAL ONCOLOGY CLINIC
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Date
2025-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The number of people diagnosed with cancer in the United States continues to rise. Cancer care is complex and multidisciplinary. It is crucial that cancer patients receive supportive care, which includes cancer surveillance, monitoring of disease and treatment-related side effects, prevention and detection of cancer and its treatment, management of cancer-related syndromes, coordination between specialists and primary care providers, and ongoing survivorship care. Patients benefit from cancer supportive care in numerous ways. The issue addressed by this project was that not all cancer patients are systematically referred for supportive care services. The aim of this project was to standardize the referral process to the cancer supportive care clinic from the breast surgical oncology clinics. By implementing a systematic referral process, an increase in the number of referrals to the cancer supportive care clinic was expected. To standardize the referral process, the change included establishing a universal timepoint for all patients to receive their referral, which was set for the first post-operative visit. Additionally, the process change involved an educational component where the provider explained the rationale for the referral's timing to the patient, as well as the significance of supportive care. The results indicated a 2.5% rise in the percentage of first post-operative visits that included a referral to the cancer supportive care clinic compared to rate of referrals before the project’s implementation. These findings underscore the need for further strategies to enhance the standardized referral process. This could involve collecting data on patients who complete supportive care visits versus those who do not, to identify potential barriers.