Survivorship: The UHealth patient experience.

Abstract

183 Background: The University of Miami has a formal Survivorship Program based on the Commission on Cancer (CoC) requirements. CoC requires accredited institutions to deliver survivorship care plans (SCP) to patients who fit analytic criteria. There is a lack of research on the patient experience as it pertains to survivorship care. Methods: Using a Likert-type scale, dual language survey (English and Spanish), patients were asked 6 questions about the Survivorship Clinic visit ranging from scheduling feasibility to information received during the visit and any opinions to improve the visit for future patients. Patients were given two weeks to complete the survey through a secure, HIPAA compliant online source (REDCap). Those who did not reply were called on the phone by a registered nurse to obtain a statistically significant sample size. Results: Of the 236 patients that were contacted, 45 responded (Breast 38.3%, Gastrointestinal 12.8%, Prostate 10.6%, Gynecologic 8.5%, Lymphoma 6.4%, Lung 6.4%, Sarcoma 4.3%, Other 12.8%). Our results found that 95.7% of patients would recommend this visit to anyone who has completed cancer treatment. Also, 59.6% of patients found the SCP to be most helpful, followed by Survivorship Provider input (38.3%) and then American Cancer Society Healthy living tips (36.2%). As a note, it was mentioned in free text that 11.1% would have preferred a similar visit at the beginning of treatment, at the completion of treatment and/or incremental follow up. Of those surveyed, 88.9% were referred to nutrition, 44.4% to exercise physiology and 27.8% to psychology/psychiatry. Conclusions: Of the patients surveyed 95.7% were satisfied with the survivorship visit. Our conclusion based on survey results shows that institutions should continue to provide formal survivorship care as per CoC requirements. Future directions should look at expanding services to patients at diagnosis and throughout the continuum of treatment and follow up. As survivorship programs grow, practices should consider increasing resources to accommodate the identified needs of patients at the beginning and end of cancer treatment.