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Healthcare provider perspectives on pediatric cancer survivorship care plans: a single institution pilot study

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Abstract

Purpose

Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are used to facilitate communication between oncology and primary care providers (PCPs) after cancer treatment and to assist cancer survivors with healthcare decisions. We evaluated pediatric oncology providers’ experiences creating and delivering SCPs. We also evaluated PCPs’ opinions of SCPs.

Methods

Together, oncology nurses and oncologists created individualized SCPs for leukemia patients treated at a children’s hospital in Utah, with nurses in charge of inputting the majority of SCP content. We surveyed providers after each SCP was completed. We also mailed SCPs to PCPs with a survey on SCP content and their knowledge and comfort level caring for cancer survivors. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize survey content.

Results

A total of 6 nurses and 8 oncologists created 21 SCPs. On average, nurses assisted with 3.5 SCPs and spent 209 min (range 100–600 min) on completing their sections of each SCP, whereas oncologists assisted with 2.6 SCPs and spent 47.4 min (range 15–120). For most SCPs, there was agreement that they should be shared with PCPs (nurse surveys 71.4%, oncologist surveys 100%). Of the 15 participating PCPs, only 28% felt prepared to manage long-term effects in pediatric cancer survivors. They agreed that the SCP would improve communication with their patient’s oncologist (80%) and their knowledge for future care (100%).

Conclusions

SCPs require substantial clinician time to create, but are seen as useful by PCPs. PCPs require specific guidelines and resources concerning ongoing care for pediatric cancer survivors.

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Acknowledgements

The study team would like to acknowledge the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Foundation as our primary funding source for this study, and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (K07CA196985). We also acknowledge the support of the clinical and office staff at the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Primary Children’s Hospital for participating and creating the SCPs. Additional support comes from the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA042014) and Huntsman Cancer Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Huntsman Cancer Institute, Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Karely Mann, Yelena P. Wu, Samantha T. Pannier, Claire Hacking, Echo L. Warner, Stephanie Rosen, Akanksha Acharya & Anne C. Kirchhoff

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Yelena P. Wu

  3. University of Utah, College of Nursing, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Echo L. Warner

  4. Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Jennifer Wright

  5. Primary Children’s Hospital, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Cheryl Gerdy

  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Anne C. Kirchhoff

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  1. Karely Mann
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Correspondence to Karely Mann.

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All study procedures were approved by the University of Utah’s Institutional Review Board.

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Mann, K., Wu, Y.P., Pannier, S.T. et al. Healthcare provider perspectives on pediatric cancer survivorship care plans: a single institution pilot study. Support Care Cancer 29, 697–706 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05522-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05522-w

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