Technology Improves Real-Time Clinical Decision Making and Immuno-Oncology Survivorship Care

What Issue did you seek to address?

Suboptimal clinician-patient communication and shared decision-making (SDM) in oncology has been reported. Long-term outcomes data and survivorship care recommendations are limited for patients receiving extended immuno-oncology (IO) therapy. Educating clinicians to recognize and manage immune-related adverse events (irAE) is key to optimal management and outcomes. Integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) into routine clinical practice can improve clinician-patient communication and SDM and provide insights into long term outcomes and survivorship issues.

What did you do?

We developed an innovative digital clinician learning and cognitive decision-making solution, Immuno- Oncology @Point of Care, that addresses clinical questions at the point of care, facilitates practice change and simplifies assessment of optimal IO therapy management and survivorship care. A companion HIPAAcompliant patient app engaged patients to record and share their health data. This information was used to develop longitudinal clinician and patient educational interventions and strategies to promote informed clinical decisions across the survivorship continuum.

What was the result?

Over 20,000 learners participated in Immuno-Oncology @Point of Care CME activities, demonstrating improved gains in knowledge, competence, and performance. Clinicians utilized the @Point of Care cognitive tool to answer clinical questions, which focused on treatment and irAE management, narrowing practice gaps and informing better clinical decisions. Analysis of patient journey entries showed significant levels of fatigue, worry/anxiety, and difficulty with everyday activities were reported, indicating a need for additional survivorship educational interventions.

What did you learn?

Long-term outcomes data and survivorship care recommendations are very limited for patients receiving extended IO therapy. Our real-world cohort reported persistent challenges in their quality of life and everyday activities, thus identifying unmet needs throughout the patient journey. In response, we are developing an expert CME webcast to identify challenges and solutions across the survivorship continuum for patients receiving IO therapy, which will enable better decisions, better outcomes, and better care.

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