Patient-Centered Care for Childhood Cancer Survivors: Reaping the Benefits of a Cardio-Oncology Clinic in a Children's Hospital

Authors

Kimberly Davidow, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

4-15-2024

Comments

Presentation: 36:33

Abstract

Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for many late effects of therapy, including cardiac events. The contributing factors to these events are both modifiable, e.g., obesity or hypertension and non-modifiable, e.g., exposure to anthracyclines or radiation therapy to the chest. Appropriate tracking and education of these patients are necessary throughout childhood into young adulthood to capture early events and prepare them to manage their risks in the adult medical world. The hematology and oncology department at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware utilizes a program within EPIC (an electronic health record) called a SmartForm. Smart data elements can be entered to track patient information that cannot be readily obtained using a traditional report. An oncology specific SmartForm has existed for many years but was underutilized. The cardio-oncology interest group was formed in 2018, consisting of oncology, cardiology, and oncology survivorship clinicians, but no designated cardio-oncology clinic had yet been created. With modifications to the oncology SmartForm, additional clinician education, and utilizing a new method of tracking radiation therapy reports, significant improvements were seen in the accurate documentation of anthracycline and radiation therapy exposures, increasing from a median of 25% for anthracycline dose documentation and 50% for anthracycline exposure documentation and radiation-related documentation pre-intervention to a median of 100% for all outcomes in the following 12 months post-intervention. With a new standardized referral process in place, the cardio-oncology clinic began seeing patients in April of 2023. Ongoing PDSA cycles are needed to maximize the benefits of both the oncology SmartForm and cardio-oncology clinics, but great strides have been made in identifying and educating at-risk patients.

Recommended Citation

Davidow, MD, Kimberly, "Patient-Centered Care for Childhood Cancer Survivors: Reaping the Benefits of a Cardio-Oncology Clinic in a Children's Hospital" (2024). Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety Capstone Presentations. Presentation 87.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/ms_hqs/87

Language

English