Utilizing patient reported outcomes for patients recieving oral chemotherapy.

Abstract

190 Background: Management of oral chemotherapy presents many challenges to oncology practitioners. The purpose of this study is to describe how incorporation of patient reported outcomes (PRO) for patients receiving oral chemotherapy can identify those patients who are experiencing moderate to severe symptom burden and nonadherence. Methods: As part of a statewide quality collaborative, we wished to improve our monitoring of patients receiving oral chemotherapy. The quality collaborative created a PRO assessment that includes a revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), a single-item adherence question, reasons for nonadherence, the patient’s most bothersome symptom and questions related to patient confidence. Our medical assistants provide the assessment to the patient before each appointment. Results: Patients completing the PRO during the first 3 months (7/7/16 – 9/27/16) were evaluated. We had 32 assessments completed by 23 patients. The oral chemotherapy prescribed were capecitabine (48%), erlotinib (13%), temozolomide (13%), and not recorded (26%). Of the 29 completed ESAS assessments, 72% included at least 1 moderate side effect, and 48% included at least 1 severe side effect. 29% of patients reported low-moderate confidence to self-manage their symptoms. Less than excellent adherence (<80% adherence) was reported in 30% of patients with the most commonly reported reason being related to side effects or concerns about side effects. Conclusions: Use of PROs in our oral chemotherapy population identified a large proportion of patients experiencing moderate to severe side effects. Further assessment of how this compares to what patients report to their oncologist during their visits will be reviewed. In addition, we found that approximately 30% of our patients are nonadherent to their oral chemotherapy. This is consistent with recent publications. We plan to continue assessing patient outcomes and utilizing the data we collect to improve patient self-management support.