Physician, patient, and contextual factors affecting treatment decisions in older adults with cancer and models of decision making: a literature review

Utilisation of endocrine therapy for cancer in Indigenous peoples: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Indigenous peoples worldwide experience inequitable cancer outcomes, and it is unclear if this is underpinned by differences in or inadequate use of endocrine treatment (ET), often used in conjunction with other cancer treatments. Previous studies examining ET use in Indigenous peoples have predominately focused on the sub-national level, often resulting in small sample sizes with limited statistical power. This systematic review aimed to collate the findings ofarticles on ET utilisation for Indigenous cancer patients and describe relevant factors that may influence ET use.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting ET use for cancer among Indigenous populations worldwide. PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for relevant articles. A random-effect meta-analysis was used to pool proportions of ET use. We also performed a subgroup analysis (such as with sample sizes) and a meta-regression to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. A socio-ecological model was used to present relevant factors that could impact ET use.

RESULTS

Thirteen articles reported ET utilisation among Indigenous populations, yielding a pooled estimate of 67% (95% CI:54 - 80), which is comparable to that of Indigenous populations 67% (95% CI: 53 - 81). However, among studies with sufficiently sized study sample/cohorts (≥ 500), Indigenous populations had a 14% (62%; 95% CI:43 - 82) lower ET utilisation than non-Indigenous populations (76%; 95% CI: 60 - 92). The ET rate in Indigenous peoples of the USA (e.g., American Indian) and New Zealand (e.g., Māori) was 72% (95% CI:56-88) and 60% (95% CI:49-71), respectively. Compared to non-Indigenous populations, a higher proportion of Indigenous populations were diagnosed with advanced cancer, at younger age, had limited access to health services, lower socio-economic status, and a higher prevalence of comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

Indigenous cancer patients have lower ET utilisation than non-Indigenous cancer patients, despite the higher rate of advanced cancer at diagnosis. While reasons for these disparities are unclear, they are likely reflecting, at least to some degree, inequitable access to cancer treatment services. Strengthening the provision of and access to culturally appropriate cancer care and treatment services may enhance ET utilisation in Indigenous population. This study protocol was registered on Prospero (CRD42023403562).

Multiple Myeloma: Validation of the Values and Preferences Elicitation Questionnaire- Cure and Survival Preference Scale (VPEQ-CSPS)

BACKGROUND

With the emergence of many novel therapies, the treatment decisions for multiple myeloma (MM) are increasingly guided by concerns of quality of life, achievement of cancer-free remission, living a longer overall survival, and a relentless search for a cure; however, the impact of various decision-making factors on patients' actual therapy choices and the patients' desire for cure and survival is mainly unknown. The lack of a valid and reliable measure for uncovering patients' preferences for cure and survival makes it more challenging to put this factor into the actual treatment decision equation.

PURPOSE

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Values and Preferences Elicitation Questionnaire-Cure and Survival Preference Scale (VPEQ-CSPS) instrument.

METHODS

The VPEQ-CSPS instrument was deployed using an anonymous Qualtrics online survey to patients diagnosed with MM within the network of International Myeloma Foundation online patient support groups across the United States. One hundred seventy-four (N = 174) valid responses were obtained and used to examine the validity and reliability of the VPEQ-CSPS.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.72 indicating excellent sample adequacy. A statistically significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (P < .001) indicated significant correlations among the variables of the dataset to conduct the EFA. The internal consistency coefficients indicated adequate reliability of the instrument with Cronbach's alpha value at 0.80. The EFA and parallel analysis revealed the 5-item VPEQ-CSPS as a valid and reliable unidimensional scale that can be used by oncology clinicians to elicit their patient's preferences for cure and survival. This new instrument has the potential to contribute to the achievement of shared decision-making for myeloma treatment decisions.

The cancer burden in the oldest-old: Increasing numbers and disparities-A nationwide study in the Netherlands, 1990 to 2019

Adults aged ≥80 years (the oldest-old) comprise the fastest growing age group in Western populations. Yet little is known about their cancer burden. In this nationwide study, we assessed their trends in incidence, treatment and survival over a 30-year period, and predicted their future cancer incidence. All 2 468 695 incident cancer cases during 1990 to 2019 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, of whom 386 611 were diagnosed in the oldest-old (16%). The incidence of the oldest-old was predicted until 2032. Net and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Patients were divided into four age groups (<80, 80-84, 85-89 and ≥90 years). The incidence of the oldest-old doubled between 1990 and 2019 and is expected to grow annually with 5% up to 2032. In virtually all cancers the share of oldest-old patients grew, but declined for prostate cancer (25% in 1990-1994 vs 13% in 2015-2019). The proportion of undetermined disease stage increased with age in most cancers. The application of systemic therapy increased, albeit less pronounced in the oldest-old than their younger counterparts (1990 vs 2019: 12%-34%, 3%-15%, 2%-7% and 1%-3% in <80, 80-84, 85-89 and ≥90 years old). Five-year OS of the oldest-old patients increased by 7 percentage points (to 26%) between 1990 to 1994 and 2015 to 2019 compared to 19 percentage points (to 63%) in <80 years old. The oldest-old cancer patients are a rapidly growing group who benefitted less from improvements in cancer treatment than younger patients, reflecting the multiple challenges faced in the care of the oldest-old.

Patient perceptions of altering chemotherapy treatment due to peripheral neuropathy

PURPOSE

Clinical practice guidelines recommend altering neurotoxic chemotherapy treatment in patients experiencing intolerable chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The primary objective of this survey was to understand patient's perspectives on altering neurotoxic chemotherapy treatment, including their perceptions of the benefits of preventing irreversible CIPN and the risks of reducing treatment efficacy.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was distributed via social networks to patients who were currently receiving or had previously received neurotoxic chemotherapy for cancer. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis.

RESULTS

Following data cleaning, 447 participants were included in the analysis. The median age was 57 years, 93% were white, and most were from the UK (53%) or USA (38%). Most participants who were currently or recently treated expected some CIPN symptom resolution (86%), but 45% of those who had completed treatment more than a year ago reported experiencing no symptom resolution. Participants reported that they would discontinue chemotherapy treatment for less severe CIPN if they knew their symptoms would be permanent than if symptoms would disappear after treatment. Most patients stated that the decision to alter chemotherapy or not was usually made collaboratively between the patient and their treating clinician (61%). The most common reason participants were reluctant to talk with their clinician about CIPN was fear that treatment would be altered. Participants noted a need for improved understanding of CIPN symptoms and their permanence, better patient education relating to CIPN prior to and after treatment, and greater clinician understanding and empathy around CIPN.

CONCLUSIONS

This survey highlights the importance of shared decision-making, including a consideration of both the long-term benefits and risks of altering neurotoxic chemotherapy treatment due to CIPN. Additional work is needed to develop decision aids and other communication tools that can be used to improve shared decision making and help patients with cancer achieve their treatment goals.

Preferred and actual involvement of caregivers in oncologic treatment decision-making: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Treatment decision-making in cancer is complex and many patients bring their caregiver to appointments to help them make those decisions. Multiple studies show the importance of involving caregivers in the treatment decision-making process. We aimed to explore the preferred and actual involvement of caregivers in the decision-making process of patients with cancer and to see if there are age or cultural background related differences in caregiver involvement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review of Pubmed and Embase was performed on January 2, 2022. Studies containing numerical data regarding caregiver involvement were included, as were studies describing the agreement between patients and caregivers regarding treatment decisions. Studies assessing solely patients aged younger than 18 years old or terminally ill patients, and studies without extractable data were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results were analysed in two separate age groups, one <62 years and one ≥62 years.

RESULTS

Twenty-two studies with a total of 11,986 patients and 6,260 caregivers were included in this review. A median of 75% of patients preferred caregivers to be involved in decision-making and a median of 85% of caregivers preferred to be involved. With regards to age groups, the preferred involvement of caregivers was more frequent in the younger study populations. With regards to geographical differences, studies performed in Western countries showed a lower preference for caregiver's involvement compared to studies from Asian countries. A median of 72% of the patients reported the caregiver was actually involved in the treatment decision-making and a median of 78% of the caregivers reported they were actually involved. The most important role of caregivers was to listen and provide emotional support.

DISCUSSION

Patients and caregivers both want caregivers to be involved in the treatment decision-making process and most caregivers are actually involved. An ongoing dialogue between clinicians, patients and caregivers about decision-making is important to meet the individual patient's and caregiver's needs when involved in the decision-making process. Important limitations were a lack of studies in older patients and significant differences in outcome measures among studies.

Clinical decision-making in older patients with cancer: a cross-sectional single-centre study to assess the impact of clinical judgement and patient preferences

OBJECTIVE

The heterogeneity in the population of older patients with cancer makes clinical decision-making difficult. We investigated the agreement between the G8 score and clinical judgment in frailty assessments, determined the impact of a life-expectancy calculator, and explored patient and caregiver preferences towards the treatment goal.

METHODS

Patients aged ≥75 years in need of new oncological treatment were prospectively enrolled between June 2020 and February 2021. Frailty was estimated by the oncologist and caregiver and compared to the G8 estimation. We examined whether the oncologist changed the fit/frail estimation based on life expectancy calculated using the ePrognosis tool. The main treatment goals, either longevity or quality of life (QoL), from the patient's and caregiver's perspective were noted and compared.

RESULTS

Forty-nine patients were included in the analysis. Comparison of the oncologist's and the caregiver's frailty estimation with the G8 assessment showed agreement and a Kappa coefficient of 58.3% (0.231) and 60% (0.255), respectively. The ePrognosis score and the odds of change in the frailty estimation by the oncologist showed no correlation. Regarding preferences, 28 (57.1%) and 17 (34.7%) patients and eighteen (47.3%) and seventeen (44.7%) caregivers chose longevity and QoL, respectively. The observed agreement and Kappa coefficient were 78.8% and 0.578.

CONCLUSION

Compared to the G8 assessment, frailty was underestimated by both oncologists and caregivers. Most of the patients chose longevity over QoL, and the preferences between the patient and the caregiver matched in the majority of cases.

Treatment decision conversations, symptoms, and functional status in older adults with advanced cancer: An exploratory study utilizing mixed methods

INTRODUCTION

Adults 65 years of age or older with metastatic cancer face complicated treatment decisions. Few studies have explored the process with oncology clinicians during clinic encounters. Our exploratory study evaluated whether symptom burden or functional status impacted treatment decision conversations between older adults, caregivers, and oncology clinicians in a single National Cancer Institute within the Mountain West region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted an observational, convergent mixed methods longitudinal study between November 2019 and January 2021; participants were followed for six months. The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) and Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were administered prior to clinical encounter. Ambulatory clinic encounters were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Nineteen older adults with a metastatic cancer diagnosis or a relapsed refractory hematologic malignancy were approached to achieve a sample of fifteen participants. The main outcome of interest was the number and quality of treatment decision making conversations, defined broadly and encompassing any interaction between the participant and oncology provider that involved (a) an issue or concern (e.g., symptoms, quality of life) brought up by anyone in the room during the clinical encounter, (b) a clinician addressing the concern, or (c) the patient or caregiver making a decision that involved a discussion of their goals or treatment preferences.

RESULTS

Nine men and six women with a mean age of 71.3 years (6.6; standard deviation [SD]) were enrolled, and four died while on study. Participants were followed from one to ten visits (mean 4.5; SD 2.8) over one to six months. Of the 67 analyzed encounters, seven encounter conversations (10%) were identified as involving any type of treatment decision discussion. The seven treatment decision conversations occurred with five participants, all male (although female participants made up 40% of the sample), and 63% of participants who reported severe symptoms on the MDASI were female. Severe symptoms or functional status did not impact treatment conversations.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest that older adults with incurable cancer and their oncology clinicians do not spontaneously engage in an assessment of costs and benefits to the patient, even in the setting of palliative treatment and significant symptom burden.

The Role of Nurse on the Treatment Decision Support for Older People with Cancer: A Systematic Review

Background: The number of older adults with cancer is increasing worldwide. The role of nurses in supporting patients' decision-making is expanding, as this process is fraught with complexity and uncertainty due to comorbidities, frailty, cognitive decline, etc., in older adults with cancer. The aim of this review was to examine the contemporary roles of oncology nurses in the treatment decision-making process in older adults with cancer. Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Results: Of the 3029 articles screened, 56 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 13 were included in the review. We identified three themes regarding nurses' roles in the decision-making process for older adults with cancer: accurate geriatric assessments, provision of available information, and advocacy. Nurses conduct geriatric assessments to identify geriatric syndromes, provide appropriate information, elicit patient preferences, and communicate efficiently with patients and caregivers, promoting physicians. Time constraints were cited as a barrier to fulfilling nurses' roles. Conclusions: The role of nurses is to elicit patients' broader health and social care needs to facilitate patient-centered decision-making, respecting their preferences and values. Further research focusing on the role of nurses that considers diverse cancer types and healthcare systems is needed.

Exploration of shared decision making in oncology within the United States: a scoping review

PURPOSE

Shared decision making (SDM) among the oncology population is highly important due to complex screening and treatment decisions. SDM among patients with cancer, caregivers, and clinicians has gained more attention and importance, yet few articles have systematically examined SDM, specifically in the adult oncology population. This review aims to explore SDM within the oncology literature and help identify major gaps and concerns, with the goal to provide guidance in the development of clear SDM definitions and interventions.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review using the Arksey and O'Malley approach along with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist. A systematic search was conducted in four databases that included publications since 2016.

RESULTS

Of the 364 initial articles, eleven publications met the inclusion criteria. We included articles that were original research, cancer related, and focused on shared decision making. Most studies were limited in defining SDM and operationalizing a model of SDM. There were several concerns revealed related to SDM: (1) racial inequality, (2) quality and preference of the patient, caregiver, and clinician communication is important, and (3) the use of a decision-making aid or tool provides value to the patient experience.

CONCLUSION

Inconsistencies regarding the meaning and operationalization of SDM and inequality of the SDM process among patients from different racial/ethnic backgrounds impact the health and quality of care patients receive. Future studies should clearly and consistently define the meaning of SDM and develop decision aids that incorporate bidirectional, interactive communication between patients, caregivers, and clinicians that account for the diversity of racial, ethnic, and sociocultural backgrounds and preferences.

Skin cancer diagnosis based on deep transfer learning and sparrow search algorithm

Skin cancer affects the lives of millions of people every year, as it is considered the most popular form of cancer. In the USA alone, approximately three and a half million people are diagnosed with skin cancer annually. The survival rate diminishes steeply as the skin cancer progresses. Despite this, it is an expensive and difficult procedure to discover this cancer type in the early stages. In this study, a threshold-based automatic approach for skin cancer detection, classification, and segmentation utilizing a meta-heuristic optimizer named sparrow search algorithm (SpaSA) is proposed. Five U-Net models (i.e., U-Net, U-Net++, Attention U-Net, V-net, and Swin U-Net) with different configurations are utilized to perform the segmentation process. Besides this, the meta-heuristic SpaSA optimizer is used to perform the optimization of the hyperparameters using eight pre-trained CNN models (i.e., VGG16, VGG19, MobileNet, MobileNetV2, MobileNetV3Large, MobileNetV3Small, NASNetMobile, and NASNetLarge). The dataset is gathered from five public sources in which two types of datasets are generated (i.e., 2-classes and 10-classes). For the segmentation, concerning the “skin cancer segmentation and classification” dataset, the best reported scores by U-Net++ with DenseNet201 as a backbone architecture are 0.104, $$94.16\%$$ 94.16 % , $$91.39\%$$ 91.39 % , $$99.03\%$$ 99.03 % , $$96.08\%$$ 96.08 % , $$96.41\%$$ 96.41 % , $$77.19\%$$ 77.19 % , $$75.47\%$$ 75.47 % in terms of loss, accuracy, F1-score, AUC, IoU, dice, hinge, and squared hinge, respectively, while for the “PH2” dataset, the best reported scores by the Attention U-Net with DenseNet201 as backbone architecture are 0.137, $$94.75\%$$ 94.75 % , $$92.65\%$$ 92.65 % , $$92.56\%$$ 92.56 % , $$92.74\%$$ 92.74 % , $$96.20\%$$ 96.20 % , $$86.30\%$$ 86.30 % , $$92.65\%$$ 92.65 % , $$69.28\%$$ 69.28 % , and $$68.04\%$$ 68.04 % in terms of loss, accuracy, F1-score, precision, sensitivity, specificity, IoU, dice, hinge, and squared hinge, respectively. For the “ISIC 2019 and 2020 Melanoma” dataset, the best reported overall accuracy from the applied CNN experiments is $$98.27\%$$ 98.27 % by the MobileNet pre-trained model. Similarly, for the “Melanoma Classification (HAM10K)” dataset, the best reported overall accuracy from the applied CNN experiments is $$98.83\%$$ 98.83 % by the MobileNet pre-trained model. For the “skin diseases image” dataset, the best reported overall accuracy from the applied CNN experiments is $$85.87\%$$ 85.87 % by the MobileNetV2 pre-trained model. After computing the results, the suggested approach is compared with 13 related studies.

Does Adding Training in Shared Decision Making for Home Care Teams to Providing Decision Guides Better Engage Frail Elders and Caregivers in Housing Decisions? :A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial

Background

Frail older adults and caregivers need support from their home care teams in making difficult housing decisions, such as whether to remain at home, with or without assistance, or move into residential care. However, home care teams are often understaffed and busy, and shared decision-making training is costly. Nevertheless, overall awareness of shared decision-making is increasing. We hypothesized that distributing a decision aid could be sufficient for providing decision support without the addition of shared decision-making training for home care teams.

Objective

We evaluated the effectiveness of adding web-based training and workshops for care teams in interprofessional shared decision-making to passive dissemination of a decision guide on the proportion of frail older adults or caregivers of cognitively-impaired frail older adults reporting active roles in housing decision-making.

Methods

We conducted a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial with home care teams in 9 health centers in Quebec, Canada. Participants were frail older adults or caregivers of cognitively impaired frail older adults facing housing decisions and receiving care from the home care team at one of the participating health centers. The intervention consisted of a 1.5-hour web-based tutorial for the home care teams plus a 3.5-hour interactive workshop in interprofessional shared decision-making using a decision guide that was designed to support frail older adults and caregivers in making housing decisions. The control was passive dissemination of the decision guide. The primary outcome was an active role in decision-making among frail older adults and caregivers, measured using the Control Preferences Scale. Secondary outcomes included decisional conflict and perceptions of how much care teams involved frail older adults and caregivers in decision-making. We performed an intention-to-treat analysis.

Results

A total of 311 frail older adults were included in the analysis, including 208 (66.9%) women, with a mean age of 81.2 (SD 7.5) years. Among 339 caregivers of cognitively-impaired frail older adults, 239 (70.5%) were female and their mean age was 66.4 (SD 11.7) years. The intervention increased the proportion of frail older adults reporting an active role in decision-making by 3.3% (95% CI –5.8% to 12.4%, P=.47) and the proportion of caregivers of cognitively-impaired frail older adults by 6.1% (95% CI -11.2% to 23.4%, P=.49). There was no significant impact on the secondary outcomes. However, the mean score for the frail older adults’ perception of how much health professionals involved them in decision-making increased by 5.4 (95% CI −0.6 to 11.4, P=.07) and the proportion of caregivers who reported decisional conflict decreased by 7.5% (95% CI −16.5% to 1.6%, P=.10).

Conclusions

Although it slightly reduced decisional conflict for caregivers, shared decision-making training did not equip home care teams significantly better than provision of a decision aid for involving frail older adults and their caregivers in decision-making.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02592525; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02592525

Opportunities to use electronic health record audit logs to improve cancer care

The rapid adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has created extensive repositories of digitized data that can be used to inform improvements in care delivery, processes, and patient outcomes. While the clinical data captured in EHRs are widely used for such efforts, EHRs also capture audit log data that reflect how users interact with the EHR to deliver care. Automatically collected audit log data provide a unique opportunity for new insights into EHR user behavior and decision‐making processes. Here, we provide an overview of audit log data and examples that could be used to improve oncology care and outcomes in four domains: diagnostic reasoning and consumption, care team collaboration and communication, patient outcomes and experience, and provider burnout/fatigue. This data source could identify gaps in performance and care, physician uptake of EHR features that enhance decision‐making, and integration of data trends for oncology. Ensuring researchers and oncologists are familiar with the data's potential and developing the data engineering capacity to utilize this rich data source, will expand the breadth of research to improve cancer care.

Involvement of adult children in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer - a qualitative study of perceptions and experiences of oncology surgeons and nurses

BACKGROUND

Many older patients with cancer have their family members, often their adult children, involved in a process of treatment decision-making. Despite the growing awareness that family members can facilitate a process of shared decision-making, strategies for involving family members are scarce. Furthermore, literature about shared decision-making pays little attention to family involvement or to the impact that family relations have on the decision process. The purpose of this study was to explore how surgeons and nurses perceive the involvement of adult children of older patients with cancer in treatment decision-making. Subsequently, it identified strategies to ensure family involvement in the decision-making process, used in clinical practice.

METHODS

Qualitative open in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 surgeons and 13 nurses working in a university or general hospital. Qualitative content analysis was conducted according to the steps of thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Both nurses and surgeons indicated that adult children's involvement in decision-making about treatment increases when patients become frail. They mentioned several characteristics of adult children's behaviour during the decision-making process. Most of these characteristics are beneficial, but they also can be challenging. The distinct nature of adult children's involvement can help older patients with cancer reach better-informed treatment decisions. Health professionals reported six strategies to support positive family involvement in decision-making about treatment.

CONCLUSION

Adult children may facilitate a process of shared decision-making and help patients reach well-informed treatment decisions. Health professionals' strategies deliberately support positive family involvement.

Opportunities for theory-informed decision science in cancer control

Cancer prevention and control involves navigation of complex clinical decisions, often laden with uncertainty and/or intricate interpersonal dynamics, which have implications for both physical health and quality of life. Cancer decision-making research in recent decades has primarily focused on working to improve the quality of decisions by providing patients with detailed information about their choices and through an increased emphasis in medicine on the importance of shared decision making. This emphasis is reflective of a model of decision making that emphasizes knowledge, options, and deliberative synthesis of information as primary to decision making; yet, decades of research in psychology, decision science, and behavioral economics have taught us that our decisions are not influenced only by our objective knowledge of facts, but by our emotions, by the influence of others, and by biased cognitive processes. We present a conceptual framework for a future of research in decision science and cancer that is informed by decision science theories. Our framework incorporates greater recognition of the interpersonal dynamics of shared decision making, including the biases (including cognitive heuristics and race-based bias) that may affect multiple actors in the decision-making process, and emphasizes study of the interaction between deliberative and affective psychological processes as they relate to decision making. This work should be conducted with an eye toward informing efforts to improve decision making across the cancer care continuum, through interventions that are also informed by theory.

Factors influencing family involvement in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer: A scoping review

Many older patients with cancer depend on their family members for care and support and involve their family members in treatment decision-making in different stages of the cancer trajectory. Although family involvement is advocated in person-centered care, little is known about family involvement in decision-making specifically for older patients, and evidence-based strategies are scarce. The aim of this scoping review is to provide deeper understanding of factors influencing family involvement in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer. Four databases were searched for quantitative-, qualitative- and mixed-method empirical studies describing factors influencing family involvement in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO. Three independent researchers reviewed the papers for eligibility and quality and contributed to the data extraction and analysis. Twenty-seven papers were included, sixteen quantitative studies, nine qualitative studies and two mixed-method studies. Five categories of factors influencing family involvement emerged: 1) patient characteristics, 2) family member characteristics, 3) family system characteristics, 4) physician's role and 5) cultural influences. These factors affect the level of family control in decision-making, treatment choice, decision agreement, and levels of stress and coping strategies of patients and family members. This review reveals a complex interplay of factors influencing family involvement in treatment decision-making for older patients with cancer that is rooted in characteristics of the family system. The findings underscore the need for development and implementation of evidence-based strategies for family involvement in treatment decision-making as part of patient-centered care for older patients with cancer.

Proposal for capturing patient experience through extended value frameworks of health technologies

BACKGROUND: Inclusion of patient experience (PEx) in health technology assessment (HTA) has become increasingly important; however, no harmonized approach exists to help manufacturers or decision makers ensure PEx considerations are fair, consistent, and thorough within global HTA frameworks. OBJECTIVE: To develop a proposal for including PEx in the HTA frameworks of health technologies. METHODS: A systematic literature review (SLR) on existing value frameworks (VFs) was conducted to capture how PEx-related value judgment is currently considered. Guided by the results of the SLR, a research group including HTA experts and patient representatives used an iterative process to develop potential value domains to capture PEx, in accordance with international guidelines. Subsequently, a panel of international payer experts was used to challenge the proposed PEx domains and provide recommendations for implementation. RESULTS: The SLR found 61 VFs and multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDAs) that considered PEx; however, PEx-related value elements were often referred to superficially, without clear definitions. Five potential PEx domains, with proposed measures for each, were developed and refined using expert feedback: (1) responsiveness to patient's individual needs, (2) improved health literacy and empowerment, (3) patient and caregiver reported outcomes, (4) household's financial burden, and (5) improved access for vulnerable patient populations. A flexible approach for framework implementation was proposed. CONCLUSIONS: Proposed PEx domains could be implemented at multiple levels of healthcare decision making to formalize consideration of PEx in the assessment of value, either through the extension of existing VFs or to create new PEx-focused VFs and more holistic decision making tools. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded and sponsored by UCB Pharma. The funding agreement ensured the authors' independence in designing the study, interpreting the data, writing, and publishing the report. Charokopou, Mountain, and Szegvari are employed by UCB Pharma. Inotai, Jakab, and Kalo are employed by Syreon Research Institute, which received funding from UCB Pharma for this research. Brixner has received fees from AbbVie, Elevar, Millcreek Outcomes Group, Novartis, Sanofi, UCB Pharma, and Xcenda. Campbell has received grants and contracts from the PhRMA Foundation and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. During a sabbatical leave, Campbell collaborated with Syreon Research Institute on research projects that included funding from UCB Pharma. Hawkins has received consultancy fees from UCB Pharma. Kristensen has received speakers bureau fees from Pfizer, AbbVie, Amgen, UCB Pharma, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD, Novartis, Eli Lilly, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals and consultancy fees from UCB Pharma.

Management of patients with multiple myeloma beyond the clinical-trial setting: understanding the balance between efficacy, safety and tolerability, and quality of life

Treatment options in multiple myeloma (MM) are increasing with the introduction of complex multi-novel-agent-based regimens investigated in randomized clinical trials. However, application in the real-world setting, including feasibility of and adherence to these regimens, may be limited due to varying patient-, treatment-, and disease-related factors. Furthermore, approximately 40% of real-world MM patients do not meet the criteria for phase 3 studies on which approvals are based, resulting in a lack of representative phase 3 data for these patients. Therefore, treatment decisions must be tailored based on additional considerations beyond clinical trial efficacy and safety, such as treatment feasibility (including frequency of clinic/hospital attendance), tolerability, effects on quality of life (QoL), and impact of comorbidities. There are multiple factors of importance to real-world MM patients, including disease symptoms, treatment burden and toxicities, ability to participate in daily activities, financial burden, access to treatment and treatment centers, and convenience of treatment. All of these factors are drivers of QoL and treatment satisfaction/compliance. Importantly, given the heterogeneity of MM, individual patients may have different perspectives regarding the most relevant considerations and goals of their treatment. Patient perspectives/goals may also change as they move through their treatment course. Thus, the 'efficacy' of treatment means different things to different patients, and treatment decision-making in the context of personalized medicine must be guided by an individual's composite definition of what constitutes the best treatment choice. This review summarizes the various factors of importance and practical issues that must be considered when determining real-world treatment choices. It assesses the current instruments, methodologies, and recent initiatives for analyzing the MM patient experience. Finally, it suggests options for enhancing data collection on patients and treatments to provide a more holistic definition of the effectiveness of a regimen in the real-world setting.

Older women's experience with breast cancer treatment: A systematic review of qualitative literature

Background

The experience of older women during breast cancer treatment is insufficiently described by quantitative studies. This study aimed to systematically review qualitative data describing factors that influence older women’s (≥65 years old) experience with breast cancer treatment.

Methods

A systematic review was performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA) principles. MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE were searched (inception – 2020). Quality assessment of essential item reporting was performed using the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) criteria. Common ideas were coded, thematically organized, and synthesized within a theoretical framework.

Results

Of 7,773 studies identified, twelve were included. The median SRQR score was 13.4 (range 11.3–15.9) (maximum score: 21). Data synthesis revealed that older women experienced breast cancer as a journey with challenges during each phase. During diagnosis, they delayed seeking medical help despite symptoms. Age and experience gave them perspective on the impact of their diagnosis. During decision-making, preconceptions and personal values determined choices. In the treatment phase, women experienced medical and social barriers to care. During the post-treatment phase, many experienced treatment adverse effects, but could move on or compartmentalize as coping mechanisms.

Conclusion

Older women with breast cancer have unique challenges specific to each phase of their treatment journey. Older women may benefit from proactive treatment discussions with health care providers to address their specific needs, individualize care, and assist with cancer care navigation.

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Older women have challenges specific to each phase of their treatment journey.

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Older women experience barriers to care and depended on their social network.

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Older women could conceptually move on or compartmentalize as coping mechanisms.

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Physicians should be aware of the unique features of each treatment phase.

Patient-reported tolerability of veliparib combined with cisplatin and etoposide for treatment of extensive stage small cell lung cancer: Neurotoxicity and adherence data from the ECOG ACRIN cancer research group E2511 phase II randomized trial

OBJECTIVES

The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group trial E2511 recently demonstrated a potential benefit for the addition of veliparib to cisplatin-etoposide (CE) in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in a phase II randomized controlled trial. Secondary trial endpoints included comparison of the incidence and severity of neurotoxicity, hypothesized to be lower in the veliparib arm, and tolerability of the addition of veliparib to CE. Physician-rated and patient-reported neurotoxicity was also compared.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients randomized to veliparib plus CE (n = 64) or placebo plus CE (n = 64) completed the 11-item Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Gynecologic Oncology Group Neurotoxicity (questionnaire pre-treatment, end of cycle 4 [ie 3 months after randomization] and 3 months post-treatment [ie 6-months]). Adherence analysis was based on treatment forms.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

No significant differences in mean or magnitude of change in neurotoxicity scores were observed between treatment arms at any time point. However, patients in the placebo arm reported worsening neurotoxicity from baseline to 3-months (M difference = -1.5, P = .045), compared to stable neurotoxicity in the veliparib arm (M difference = -0.2, P = .778). Weakness was the most common treatment-emergent (>50%) and moderate to severe (>16%) symptom reported, but did not differ between treatment arms. The proportion of adherence to oral therapy in the overall sample was 75%. Three percent of patients reported clinically significant neurotoxicity that was not captured by physician assessment. Neurotoxicity scores were not different between treatment arms. The addition of veliparib to CE appeared tolerable, though weakness should be monitored. CLINICALTRIALS.

GOV IDENTIFIER

NCT01642251.

Conceptualizations of clinical decision-making: a scoping review in geriatric emergency medicine

BACKGROUND

Clinical decision-making (CDM) is an important competency for young doctors especially under complex and uncertain conditions in geriatric emergency medicine (GEM). However, research in this field is characterized by vague conceptualizations of CDM. To evolve and evaluate evidence-based knowledge of CDM, it is important to identify different definitions and their operationalizations in studies on GEM.

OBJECTIVE

A scoping review of empirical articles was conducted to provide an overview of the documented evidence of findings and conceptualizations of CDM in GEM.

METHODS

A detailed search for empirical studies focusing on CDM in a GEM setting was conducted in PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, EMBASE and Web of Science. In total, 52 publications were included in the analysis, utilizing a data extraction sheet, following the PRISMA guidelines. Reported outcomes were summarized.

RESULTS

Four themes of operationalization of CDM emerged: CDM as dispositional decisions, CDM as cognition, CDM as a model, and CDM as clinical judgement. Study results and conclusions naturally differed according to how CDM was conceptualized. Thus, frailty-heuristics lead to biases in treatment of geriatric patients and the complexity of this patient group was seen as a challenge for young physicians engaging in CDM.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review summarizes how different studies in GEM use the term CDM. It provides an analysis of findings in GEM and call for more stringent definitions of CDM in future research, so that it might lead to better clinical practice.

Shared decision-making in older patients with cancer - What does the patient want?

Shared decision-making in cancer care, where we move away from the paternalistic "the doctor knows best" attitude to involving the patient in decisions regarding her or his health, is now universally accepted in western societies. However, in many situations this is easier said than done. For instance, if the interaction with the patient is not performed in a skillful manner, shared decision-making can make the patient feel unsafe - shouldn't the specialist know how to treat a serious disease such as cancer? Why would the doctor ask the patient about this? In other cases, what the patient wants in unrealistic, for example a severely frail patient aged 85 years with more than one life-limiting comorbidity who is diagnosed with an advanced cancer and has a goal of living to be at least 100 years. And what does a patient with advanced dementia want in the context of a cancer disease? In this perspectives piece, we will describe different scenarios that may arise within geriatric oncology and shared decision-making, make recommendations about how to handle such situations, and provide some food for thought.

Shared Decision-Making Competency: Provider-Specific Factors in Hematology-Oncology Clinical Practice

A computerized database search was performed using PubMed®, CINAHL®, and EBSCOhost to identify provider-specific factors associated with shared decision-making (SDM) competency among direct patient care providers in hematology-oncology practice. Personal factors included being female or older in age and having higher education. Years of clinical experience, nonclinical experiences, institutional support for SDM, administrative support for SDM training and education, and cultural competence were also reported as having a positive correlation with SDM competence among care providers. Future research is needed to identify core SDM competencies in the interprofessional hematology-oncology care setting.

Decision-making in cancer care for people living with dementia

OBJECTIVE

Increasing numbers of people are expected to live with comorbid cancer and dementia. Cancer treatment decision-making for these individuals is complex, particularly for those lacking capacity, requiring support across the cancer care pathway. There is little research to inform practice in this area. This ethnographic study reports on the cancer decision-making experiences of people with cancer and dementia, their families, and healthcare staff.

METHODS

Participant observations, informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, and medical note review, in two NHS trusts. Seventeen people with dementia and cancer, 22 relatives and 19 staff members participated.

RESULTS

Decision-making raised complex ethical dilemmas and challenges and raised concerns for families and staff around whether correct decisions had been made. Whose decision it was and to what extent a person with dementia and cancer was able to make decisions was complex, requiring careful and ongoing consultation and close involvement of relatives. The potential impact dementia might have on treatment understanding and toleration required additional consideration by clinicians when evaluating treatment options.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer treatment decision-making for people with dementia is challenging, should be an ongoing process and has emotional impacts for the individual, relatives, and staff. Longer, flexible, and additional appointments may be required to support decision-making by people with cancer and dementia. Evidence-based decision-making guidance on how dementia impacts cancer prognosis, treatment adherence and efficacy is required.

Patient-reported quality of life in patients with relapsed/refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: Results from the randomised phase III ALCANZA study

BACKGROUND

Brentuximab vedotin was approved for adult patients with CD30-expressing cutaneous T-cell lymphoma treated with prior systemic therapy based on improved response rates and progression-free survival with brentuximab vedotin (1.8 mg/kg once every 3 weeks; ≤16 cycles) versus physician's choice (methotrexate/bexarotene; ≤48 weeks) in the phase III ALCANZA study. Quality of life (QoL) in ALCANZA patients was also examined.

METHODS

QoL measures in ALCANZA were based on the Skindex-29, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and European QoL 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaires.

RESULTS

Mean maximum reduction from the baseline Skindex-29 symptom domain score (key secondary end-point) was greater with brentuximab vedotin than physician's choice (-27.96 versus -8.62); the difference, -18.9 (95% confidence interval -26.6, -11.2; adjusted p < 0.001), exceeded the study-defined minimally important difference (9.0-12.3). Mean changes from baseline to end-of-treatment visit total FACT-G scores were similar with brentuximab vedotin and physician's choice (0.15 versus -2.29). EQ-5D changes were also comparable between arms. Among brentuximab vedotin-treated patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN), mean maximum reduction in Skindex-29 symptom domain was -35.54 versus -11.11 in patients without PN. PN had no meaningful effect on FACT-G and EQ-5D QoL scores.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, brentuximab vedotin produced superior reductions in symptom burden compared with physician's choice, without adversely impacting QoL. QoL was unaffected by the presence of PN in brentuximab vedotin-treated patients.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01578499.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) treatment and associated costs in the public sector compared to the private sector in Johannesburg, South Africa

Background

South Africa’s divided healthcare system is believed to be inequitable as the population serviced by each sector and the treatment received differs while annual healthcare expenditure is similar. The appropriateness of treatment received and in particular the cost of the same treatment between the sectors remains debatable and raises concerns around equitable healthcare. Colorectal cancer places considerable pressure on the funders, yet treatment utilization data and the associated costs of non-communicable diseases, in particular colorectal cancer, are limited for South Africa. Resources need to be appropriately managed while ensuring equitable healthcare is provided regardless of where the patient is able to receive their treatment. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the cost of colorectal cancer treatment in a privately insured patient population in order to compare the costs and utilization to a previously published public sector patient cohort.

Methods

Private sector costs were determined using de-identified claim-based data for all newly diagnosed CRC patients between 2012 and 2014. The costs obtained from this patient cohort were compared to previously published public sector data for the same period. The costs compared were costs incurred by the relevant sector funder and didn’t include out-of-pocket costs.

Results

The comparison shows private sector patients gain access to more of the approved regimens (12 vs. 4) but the same regimens are more costly, for example CAPOX costs approximately €150 more per cycle. The cost difference between 5FU and capecitabine monotherapy is less than €30 per cycle however, irinotecan is cheaper in comparison to oxaliplatin in the private sector (FOLFOX approx. €500 vs. FOLFIRI aprox. €460). Administrative costs account for up to 45% of total costs compared to the previously published data of these costs totaling < 15% of the full treatment cost in South Africa’s public healthcare system.

Conclusion

This comparison highlights the disparities between sectors while illustrating the need for further research to improve resource management to attain equitable healthcare.

Open Wounds and Healed Scars: A Qualitative Study of Elderly Women's Experiences With Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is more prevalent among women 60 years or older than among women younger than 60 years. However, we know much more about the breast cancer experiences of younger women than of older women. Such knowledge is important, for example, to guide treatment decisions or to provide psychosocial care.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of women with breast cancer 70 years or older.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 older patients with breast cancer in the Netherlands. We used open coding and affinity diagramming to evoke the themes reflecting the experiences of these women.

RESULTS

Four themes emerged from the data: living through and coping with breast cancer, information exchange and informed choice, support experiences, and impact on daily life. Getting breast cancer took some women by surprise. However, older women with breast cancer coped fairly well and were satisfied with the support they received, especially from oncology nurses. Disturbing treatment adverse effects and changes in appearance, comorbid diseases, lack of clear information, and/or an unsupportive environment complicated their living with breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Even though many older women with breast cancer handle their disease rather well, some women do encounter difficulties. Lack of support, comorbid diseases, and treatment adverse effects warrant extra attention.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Nurses' close attention to women at risk and early intervention could help relieve individual suffering, while taking these womens' strengths into account can enhance self-management.

Treatment patterns and associated factors in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: a population-based study

OBJECTIVES

A significant proportion of women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer receive no cancer-directed treatment and limited research has been devoted to this group. This population-based study aimed to gain insight into treatment patterns and trends in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in the Netherlands and the main reasons for deciding for no cancer-directed treatment.

METHODS

All patients diagnosed with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification IIB-IV, between 2008 and 2016 were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Trends in the number of patients receiving cancer-directed treatment were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with no cancer-directed treatment. The main reasons for no cancer-directed treatment were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 9303 patients were included, of whom 14% (n=1270) received no cancer-directed treatment while 67% (n=6218) received a combination of cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy. Some 15% (n=1399) received chemotherapy only, and 4.5% (n=416) surgical resection or hormonal therapy only. The proportion of patients receiving no cancer-directed treatment was higher in 2014-2016 (16%, n=496/3175) compared with 2008-2010 (11%, n=349/3057, p<0.001). Associated factors with no cancer-directed treatment were higher age, FIGO stage IV, lower socioeconomic status, co-morbidity, and more recent years of diagnosis (p<0.001). Main reasons for no cancer-directed treatment were patient's choice (40%) and poor condition of the patient (29%).

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer not receiving cancer-directed treatment has increased in the last decade in the Netherlands. Patient's choice was the main reason for the decision to undergo no cancer-directed treatment, which indicates patient involvement in the decision-making process. The second most common reason for no cancer-directed treatment was poor condition of the patient, which might indicate careful selection of patients for treatment. Decision-making regarding treatment is well-considered, but more insight is needed, especially from the patient's perspective.

Decision Aid Implementation and Patients' Preferences for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment: Insights from the High Value Healthcare Collaborative

BACKGROUND

Shared decision making (SDM) research has emphasized the role of decision aids (DAs) for helping patients make treatment decisions reflective of their preferences, yet there have been few collaborative multi-institutional efforts to integrate DAs in orthopedic consultations and primary care encounters.

OBJECTIVE

In the context of routine DA implementation for SDM, we investigate which patient-level characteristics are associated with patient preferences for surgery versus medical management before and after exposure to DAs. We explored whether DA implementation in primary care encounters was associated with greater shifts in patients' treatment preferences after exposure to DAs compared to DA implementation in orthopedic consultations.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

10 High Value Healthcare Collaborative (HVHC) health systems.

STUDY PARTICIPANTS

A total of 495 hip and 1343 adult knee osteoarthritis patients who were exposed to DAs within HVHC systems between July 2012 to June 2015.

RESULTS

Nearly 20% of knee patients and 17% of hip patients remained uncertain about their treatment preferences after viewing DAs. Older patients and patients with high pain levels had an increased preference for surgery. Older patients receiving DAs from three HVHC systems that transitioned DA implementation from orthopedics into primary care had lower odds of preferring surgery after DA exposure compared to older patients in seven HVHC systems that only implemented DAs for orthopedic consultations.

CONCLUSION

Patients' treatment preferences were largely stable over time, highlighting that DAs for SDM largely do not necessarily shift preferences. DAs and SDM processes should be targeted at older adults and patients reporting high pain levels. Initiating treatment conversations in primary versus specialty care settings may also have important implications for engagement of patients in SDM via DAs.

Evidence-based medicine among health-care workers in hospitals in Iran: A nationwide survey

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) plays an important and dominant role in promoting effective decision-making in the health system. This study was aimed to evaluate the EBM performance among health-care workers (HCWs) in hospitals in Iran.

METHODS

In this study (a cross-sectional study), participants were 2800 HCWs in hospitals. A researcher-made questionnaire was designed, and judgments of 10 experts were used for the improvement of content validity. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by the test-retest method (α = 0.85). Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way ANOVA, in SPSS.16 software.

RESULTS

Eventually, 1524 questionnaires were completed (response rate: 54.4%). The results of the study show that 62%of participants have not accessed scientific journals, 52% of them have difficulties using the Internet at work, guidelines were not reachable for 76% of them, and about 80% have not access to databases. About 39% of participants were not well informed about databases of EBM, and 15.8% of them were immensely knowledgeable about EBM terminology. The most important problems to increase HCWs information about EBM include research methodology- related problems, lack of resources and motivation, and coordination problems. The most prominent facilitators include: providing training courses in EBM and increased facilities. Only work experience showed a significant correlation with barriers and facilitators, and gender revealed a significant correlation with barriers (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

It seems that prioritizing the increased access to information resources and databases, considering the research skills of the HCWs, extending the opportunities and increasing the facilities such as workforce, equipment, physical environment, and accessibility can have a great impact on the improvement of the activities associated with EBM.

Efficacy and Adverse Events of Immunotherapy with Checkpoint Inhibitors in Older Patients with Cancer

The number of older patients with cancer is increasing as a result of the ageing of Western societies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved cancer treatment and are associated with lower rates of treatment-related toxicity compared with chemotherapy in the general population. Nonetheless, immune checkpoint inhibitors have potentially serious immune-related adverse events, which might have a greater impact on older and more vulnerable patients and potentially influence treatment efficacy and quality of life. Previous clinical trials have shown no major increase in immune-related adverse events; however, older patients are underrepresented and relatively healthy in these trials. Observational studies suggest that older and more vulnerable patients may be at a higher risk of immune-related adverse events and early treatment discontinuation. Geriatric assessment could help identify older patients who will benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Do cancer treatments have option value? Real-world evidence from metastatic melanoma

A change in the expectations about future treatments may change the option value of a current treatment, thereby affecting its utilization. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using a large administrative claims database to test whether the utilization of existing cancer treatments changed after the disclosures of the then-investigational drug ipilimumab's Phase II and Phase III results among metastatic melanoma patients from 2008 to 2011. We used a multinomial logistic regression to analyze the temporal probability of receiving antineoplastic systemic therapy, surgical resection of metastasis, or both, relative to no treatment, in the first 3 months following the first metastasis diagnosis. One thousand eight hundred forty-six metastatic melanoma patients were included. After adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic variables and the underlying time trend, the disclosure of ipilimumab's Phase II result was associated with a nearly twofold immediate increase in the probability of receiving surgical resection of metastasis relative to no treatment, which was significant at 5% level. No significant effect was observed for the time trend. No significant effects were found for the announcement of the Phase III result. Our findings in metastatic melanoma provide the first empirical evidence of the impact of option value in cancer treatment decision making.

Exploring associations between older adults' demographic characteristics and their perceptions of self-care actions for communicating with healthcare professionals in southern United States

AIMS

This study examined associations between older adults' demographic factors and their perceived importance of, desire to and ability to perform seven self-care behaviours for communicating with healthcare professionals.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional survey study analysed subset data of 123 older adults 65 years and older, living in southern United States.

METHODS

The Patient Action Inventory for Self-Care (57 items, grouped into 11 categories) was used to collect self-reported self-care data. Demographic characteristics were also collected. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were used to tests for relationships between the variables relevant to the research objective.

RESULTS

Regression findings showed that separated older adults felt less able to share ideas about their healthcare experiences compared to married older adults. Male older adults reported less desire to list issues to discuss and less desire to share ideas about their care experience with their healthcare professionals compared to their female counterparts.

Patient-reported perceptions of care after the introduction of a new advanced cancer nursing role in Sweden

PURPOSE

Extensive research results show quality improvements associated with advanced cancer nursing roles. Despite this, these roles are not implemented in many countries. The aim of this cross-sectional, population-based study was to compare patients' perception of care, before and after the introduction of a new advanced nursing role, the coordination contact nurse (CCN), in a region in Sweden.

METHOD

All patients (with gynaecological, haematological, Head & Neck, upper gastrointestinal cancers) diagnosed in the region the year prior and one-year post introducing the new CCN role were identified from the Swedish Cancer Register. Data were collected using the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer [EORTC] Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-INFO25) and a study specific questionnaire.

RESULT

The results, based on baseline (n = 869) and follow-up data (n = 1003), show statistically significant patient-reported improvements after the introduction of the CCN role, regarding health-related patient information (EORTC QLQ- INFO25 global mean score increased from 41.23 to 44.16, p = 0.0006). We found statistically significant improvements related to availability of supportive care resources, e.g. increased reported access to contact nurse (from 53% to 66%, p ≤ 0.0001) and individual written care plans (from 40% to 54%, p < 0.0001). We also found some improvements related to patient involvement and care coordination, but also room for further developments.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of the new advanced cancer nursing role may have contributed to important improvements, but it has also identified areas in need of development. Further research with long-term evaluations of CCN roles in other contexts, are both needed and on-going.

The decision partner in healthcare decision-making: A concept analysis

BACKGROUND

The decision partner concept emerged to describe someone who contributes to healthcare decision-making with a patient. There is a need for greater precision and consensus surrounding its conceptual definition and use in broader populations.

OBJECTIVE

To define and describe the decision partner concept within the context of healthcare decision-making.

DESIGN

A concept analysis.

DATA SOURCES

We searched the following databases for articles published between 1990-2017: PsychINFO, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. We included qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods studies that used the term decision partner in the context of healthcare decision-making.

METHODS

We applied the Walker and Avant method to identify the antecedents, attributes, related concepts, consequences, and empirical referents of the concept, with major themes identified.

RESULTS

From the 112 articles included in this concept analysis, 6 defining attributes of decision partner were identified: (1) has a relationship with the patient, (2) demonstrates a willingness to participate in decision-making, (3) articulates a clear understanding of both the patient's health condition and the decisions that must be made, (4) demonstrates decision-making self-efficacy; (5) exemplifies an emotional capacity to participate in decision-making, and (6) willing to fulfill several supportive roles including patient advocate and the "hub of information".

CONCLUSIONS

A unifying definition and discussion of the decision partner concept has been developed. Our findings: (1) offer insights into refining the concept across various diseases and healthcare encounters, (2) contribute to developing theoretical models and empirical research to refine antecedents, attributes, consequences, (3) serve as a foundation to develop instruments to measure the concept and (4) highlight the need to design interventions that include and support decision partners in healthcare decision-making.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Stress and the Perceived Style of Decision-Making in Clinicians and Patients With Cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Perceived stress and mindfulness can impact medical decision-making in both patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional evaluation of the relationships between stress, mindfulness, self-regulation, perceptions of treatment conversations, and decision-making preferences among clinicians. Also, perceptions of treatment conversations and decision-making preferences among patients with cancer were evaluated.

METHODOLOGY

Survey instruments were developed for clinicians and patients incorporating previously published questions and validated instruments. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Patients, physicians, and advanced practice providers from a tertiary referral center were asked to complete surveys. Continuous variables were evaluated for normality and then bivariate relationships between variables were evaluated using χ2, Fisher's exact test, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) row mean scores differ statistic, or Kruskal-Wallis tests, where appropriate. Significance was defined at P < .05. All tests were conducted using SAS v.9.4.

RESULTS

77 patients and 86 clinicians (60.1% and 43% response rates, respectively) participated in the surveys. More clinicians who reported feeling "great/good" said they always/sometimes had enough time to spend with patients (66.1%) compared to those that hardly ever/never had enough time (26.3%), χ2(1, N = 75) = 6.62, P = .0101; CMH row mean scores differ statistic). Interestingly, 40.3% of patients preferred a paternalistic style of decision-making compared to 6.3% of clinicians, χ2(2, N = 146) = 27.46, P < .0001; χ2 test. Higher levels of dispositional mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale) were found among clinicians who reported they felt "great/good" (median = 4.5) as compared to those who reported that they were "definitely stressed/stressed out" (3.3), χ2(2, N = 80) = 10.32, P = .0057; Kruskal-Wallis test. Higher levels of emotional self-regulation (Emotional Regulation Questionnaire-Cognitive Reappraisal facet) were found among clinicians who reported they felt "great/good" (median = 31.0) compared to those who reported that they were "definitely stressed/stressed out" (20.0), χ2(2, N = 79) = 8.88, P = .0118; Kruskal-Wallis test.

CONCLUSION

In order to have meaningful conversations about treatment planning, an understanding of mental well-being and its relationship to decision-making preferences is crucial for both oncology patients and clinicians. Our results show that for clinicians, lower perceived stress was associated with higher levels of mindfulness (experiencing the present moment), emotional self-regulation, and spending more time with patients. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

Individualized Colorectal Cancer Screening Discussions Between Older Adults and Their Primary Care Providers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. Discussions of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with older adults should be individualized to maximize appropriate screening. Our aim was to describe CRC screening discussions and explore their associations with patient characteristics and screening intentions. Methods. Cross-sectional survey of 422 primary care patients aged ≥70 years and eligible for CRC screening, including open-ended questions about CRC screening discussions. Primary outcomes were the frequency with which CRC screening discussions occurred, who had those discussions, and the domains that emerged from thematic analysis of participants' brief reports of their discussions. We also examined the associations between 1) patient characteristics and whether a screening discussion occurred and 2) the domains discussed and what screening decisions were made. Results. Of 422 participants, 209 reported having discussions and 201 responded to open-ended questions about CRC discussions. In a regression analysis, several factors were associated with increased odds of having a discussion: participants' preference to pursue screening (odds ratio [OR] 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3, 3.9), good health (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.7, 4.8), and receipt of the decision aid (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4, 3.2). Our thematic analysis identified five domains related to discussion content and three related to discussion process. The CRC screening-related information domain was the most commonly discussed content domain, and the timing/frequency domain was associated with increased odds of intent to pursue screening. Decision-making role, the most commonly discussed process domain, was associated with increased odds of the intent to forgo CRC screening. Conclusions and Relevance. CRC screening discussions varied by type of participant and content. Future work is needed to determine if interventions focused on specific domains alters the appropriateness of participants' colorectal cancer screening intentions.

Patient characteristics and treatment considerations in pancreatic cancer: a population based study in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer carries a poor prognosis. To date, there has been little research devoted to decision-making regarding treatment options in pancreatic cancer, including the rationale for choosing to withhold tumor targeting treatment (TTT). This study aims to gain insight into the characteristics of patients receiving no TTT, the reasons for this decision and their survival.

METHODS

All patients diagnosed in the Netherlands between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2015 with a proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma or a pathologically unverified pancreatic tumor were identified in the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Information on initial management, patient characteristics, main reasons for no TTT (as reported in medical charts) and survival were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 3090 patients was included. Of these patients, 1818 (59%) received no TTT. Median age of no TTT patients was 74 years (range 35-99) versus 66 years (30-87) for TTT patients. In the no TTT group 77% had a clinical stage III/IV versus 57% of patients who received TTT. Main reasons for not starting TTT were patient's choice (27%) and extensive disease (21%). Median survival of patients who did not receive TTT was 1.9 months, ranging from a median survival of 0.8 months (when main reason to withhold TTT was short life expectancy) to 4.4 months (main reason to withhold TTT: old age). In the latter group, a relatively large proportion of clinical stage I tumors was present (37%).

CONCLUSION

The majority of patients with pancreatic cancer received no TTT and had a very poor median survival. In most patients, patient's choice not to start treatment was the main reason for withholding treatment, suggesting patient's involvement in decision-making.

Patient-reported factors influencing the treatment decision-making process of older women with non-metastatic breast cancer: a systematic review of qualitative evidence

PURPOSE

Older women (≥ 70 years old) with breast cancer undergo different treatments than young women. Studies have examined factors that influence this disparity, but synthesized patient-reported data are lacking in the literature. This study aims to identify, appraise, and synthesize the existing qualitative evidence on patient-reported factors influencing older women's decision to accept or decline breast cancer treatment.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA) principles. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for qualitative studies describing patient-reported factors influencing the decision-making process of older women (≥ 70 years old) with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer. Quality was assessed using the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) criteria. Common ideas were coded, thematically organized, and synthesized within a theoretical framework.

RESULTS

Of 5998 studies identified, 10 met eligibility criteria. The median SRQR total score was 13.04 (IQR 12.84-13.81). The studies represented a range of cancer treatments; most of the studies focused on surgery and primary endocrine therapy. Our data show that the most common patient-reported factors in the decision-making process included treatment characteristics, personal goals/beliefs, patient characteristics, physician's recommendation, and personal/family experience. These factors led the patient to either accept or decline treatment, and were not consistent across all studies included. Studies used different interview guides, which may have affected these results.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review highlights the complexity of factors that influence an older woman's treatment decision-making process. Acknowledging and addressing these factors may improve discussions about treatment choices between older women and their health care providers, and encourage maximization of a patient-centered approach.

Patient, physician, and caregiver perspectives on ovarian cancer treatment decision making: lessons from a qualitative pilot study

Background

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy and the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women living in the USA. Treatment for ovarian cancer that follows the guidelines published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network is associated with a 33% decrease in disease-specific mortality, yet fewer than 40% of women with ovarian cancer receive guideline-adherent treatment. Little is known about the process by which women with ovarian cancer, their unpaid caregivers, and physicians make decisions about ovarian cancer treatment. We are planning to conduct a population-based study examining the ovarian cancer treatment decision-making process from the perspective of women with ovarian cancer, their caregivers, and physicians using a qualitative approach. Prior to embarking on a large-scale study, we determined it would be beneficial to pilot test our unpaid caregiver recruitment protocol and identify preliminary topics for the main study's interview guide.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study using a qualitative approach. Data were collected via unstructured, individual interviews. Data were analyzed using modified grounded theory methods.

Results

We interviewed six women with ovarian cancer, four unpaid caregivers, and three physicians. The recruitment protocol successfully recruited patient participants but did not allow for direct recruitment of unpaid caregivers, which presented logistical difficulties. The interview guide was adequate to elicit participants' discussion of the major topics of interest; however, the opening statement needed modification to account for physician participants' specialties. Patient and caregiver participants identified three major categories of concepts describing the process of ovarian cancer treatment decision making: (a) choosing a provider, (b) choosing a facility, and (c) choosing a treatment. All three groups of participants addressed the influence of geographic location on treatment decisions, while physicians described encounters with patients declining recommended treatment.

Conclusions

This pilot study met our objectives of testing unpaid caregiver recruitment procedures and identifying topics to include in the interview guide for a planned grounded theory study. Although the thematic results of this study are preliminary, the categories of concepts described by participants provide a framework for the exploration of patient, unpaid caregiver, and physician perspectives of ovarian cancer treatment decision making.

Improving shared decision-making in advanced Parkinson's disease: protocol of a mixed methods feasibility study

BACKGROUND

In advanced stages of Parkinson's disease (PD), patients and neurologists regularly face complex treatment decisions. Shared decision-making (SDM) can support the process where evidence, the clinician's expertise and the patient's preferences jointly contribute to reach an optimal decision. Here, we describe the rationale of our feasibility study protocol.The aim of the study is to test the feasibility of the SDM intervention by (1) analysing the acceptability of the intervention by users (i.e. professionals and patients), (2) assessing the level of implementation, (3) testing efficacy on a small scale and (4) evaluating the study procedures.

METHODS

Using an uncontrolled before-after mixed methods design, patients in the pre-intervention group will receive information and decisional support as usual. Patients in the post-intervention group will receive the SDM intervention, consisting of an Option Grid™ patient decision aid and a website with supplementary information plus a value clarification tool for both patients and professionals. An Option Grid is a one-page, evidence-based summary of available options, listing the frequently asked questions that patients consider when making treatment decisions. A value clarification tool helps patients identify which option he/she prefers based on attributes in the treatment decision context. Neurologists and PD nurse specialists will receive a 1-h instruction on SDM and how to use the SDM intervention.Through purposive sampling, neurologists and PD nurse specialists will be recruited from both specialised neurology clinics and community-based hospitals. Included professionals will invite consecutive patients who are eligible for the advanced therapies.Data will be collected using questionnaires, interviews and audio observations of the consultations and by tracking users' logging behaviour of the website. Data will be analysed using a mixed methods design.

DISCUSSION

The mixed methods design will create a deeper understanding of how the SDM intervention affects the interactions between professionals (a neurologist and/or a PD nurse specialist) and the patient, when an advanced treatment is chosen. The results of the study will inform the design of an RCT to test the effectiveness of the SDM intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NTR6649, retrospectively registered 28 August 2017.

Toxicity of Cancer Therapies in Older Patients

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

In clinical practice, older patients are often undertreated due to underrepresentation in clinical trials and fear of toxicity. Our objective was therefore to review toxicities that are specific to older cancer patients, to review risk factors in order to help physicians guide their decisions, and to review interventions that can be implemented in routine clinical practice to prevent toxicity induced by cancer therapies.

RECENT FINDINGS

On the whole, reviews report similar number and frequency as well as similar grade 3 or 4 adverse events between subjects older and younger than 65 years. Yet patients included in clinical trials are often not representative of real-life patients and are often fit older cancer patients. Moreover, tolerance to the additive impact of multiple adverse effects is different between older and younger patients. And specific symptoms such as stomatitis may cause a series of consequences such as dehydration, denutrition, renal insufficiency, and adverse events of renally excreted drugs. Older patients are at high risk of toxicity due to many factors but mainly due to the prevalence of frailty in this population that has been estimated to be around 40% increasing the risk of chemotherapy intolerance. As a consequence, interventions must be implemented according to altered domains of comprehensive geriatric assessment in order to improve anticancer tolerance. These interventions are reviewed here.

Communication about geriatric assessment domains in advanced cancer settings: "Missed opportunities"

OBJECTIVES

Older patients with advanced cancer often have age-related health issues (e.g., memory impairment) that influence their cancer treatment decisions. Communication about these age-related concerns can potentially lead to further assessment and subsequent clinical interventions to improve treatment decision-making and patients' quality of life. Yet, little is known about the communication of age-related concerns between oncologists, patients, and caregivers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study is a secondary analysis of data from the Values and Options in Cancer Care (VOICE) study. Audio-recorded and transcribed outpatient clinical oncology encounters with 37 patients with advanced cancer ≥60 years of age were content-analyzed. Two trained coders used a structured coding scheme based on pre-specified geriatric assessment (GA) domains to examine the transcripts for the frequency and quality of communication about age-related concerns. Atlas.ti version 6 was used for all analyses.

RESULTS

The median age of the patients was 66 years (range = 60-90 years); patients were mostly female (26/37), married (22/37), and White (36/37). Out of 37 audio-recorded visits, 31 had at least one mention of an age-related concern with a total of 70 mentions. Oncologists initiated communication about age-related concerns half of the time (53%). When age-related concerns were mentioned, half of the time (50%) the oncologist did not implement further evidence-based interventions to address the age-related concern (e.g., conduct a cognitive screen for a memory concern).

CONCLUSION

Interventions are needed to improve the frequency and quality of the communication about age-related concerns to improve the care of older adults with cancer.

Elderly patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: position paper from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology

Therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma should be tailored to the circumstances and preferences of the individual patient. Age should not be a barrier to effective treatment. Systematic geriatric screening and assessment contributes to the goal of personalised management, in addition to the involvement of a multidisciplinary team. A task force from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) updated its 2009 consensus statement on the management of elderly patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma by reviewing data from studies involving recently approved targeted drugs and immunotherapies for this disease. Overall, it seems that age alone does not appreciably affect efficacy. Among the pivotal studies that were included, there is a striking scarcity of analyses that relate toxic effects to patient age. Even if the adverse effects of therapy are no more frequent or severe in elderly patients than in their younger counterparts, the practical, psychological, and functional impact of treatment may be greater, especially if toxic effects are chronic and cumulative.

How acceptable is paternalism? A survey-based study of clinician and nonclinician opinions on paternalistic decision making

We conducted an empirical study to explore clinician and lay opinions on the acceptability of physician paternalism. Respondents read a vignette describing a patient with brain hemorrhage facing urgent surgery that would be lifesaving but would result in long-term severe disability. Cases were randomized to show either low or high surrogate distress and certain or uncertain prognosis, with respondents rating the acceptability of not offering brain surgery. Clinicians (N = 169) were more likely than nonclinicians (N = 649) to find the doctor withholding surgery acceptable (30.2% vs. 11.4%, p ≤ 0.001). Among clinicians, the doctor withholding surgery was more acceptable when prognosis was certain to be poor (odds ratio [OR] 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04, 4.01). There was no effect of surrogate distress on clinician ratings. Responses among lay public were more variable. Given the differences in attitudes across clinicians and lay public, there is an ongoing need to engage stakeholders in the process of end-of-life decision making.

Mobilizing purpose and passion in oncology nursing care of older adults: From conference workshop to special interest group

In Canada, 45% of new cancer cases and 63% of cancer deaths occur amongst Canadians 70 years and older. These older people with cancer and their families present particular needs and concerns that often remain under-recognized and unmet. As the number of older Canadians is expected to more than double in the next 25 years, we must integrate understanding of aging into oncology nursing practice, education, policy, and research, developing models of care that optimize appropriate outcomes for older adults. We present the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO) Oncology and Aging Special Interest Group (SIG), as an initiative to mobilize oncology nurses in addressing these concerns. In an overview of the 2015 CANO conference workshop that launched this group, we highlight practice concerns and priorities identified through interactive discussion with participants. We also describe development of the SIG since 2015, including objectives that will define next steps.

Treatment-related Decisional Conflict, Quality of Life, and Comorbidity in Older Adults with Cancer

Objective:

The present study aims to examine the relationships between and among cancer treatment-related decisional conflict, quality of life, and comorbidity in older adults with cancer.

Methods:

A convenience sample of 200 older adults was recruited from outpatient medical oncology and radiation oncology practices in the northeastern United States. A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study design was used employing a survey method. Survey instruments included the Decisional Conflict scale (DCS) (with five subscales, including informed, values clarity, support, uncertainty, and effective decision); Self-administered comorbidity questionnaire (SCQ); European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (including five function scales, three symptom scales, a global health/quality of life scale, and six single items); and an investigator-developed demographic form.

Results:

The mean total DCS score was 22.1 (±12.5). The uncertainty subscale had the highest mean of the subscales (29.2 ± 18.2). The mean score for global health status/quality of life was 44.2 (±20.7). The mean score of the SCQ was low (9.6 ± 4.1). Significant positive relationships were identified between decisional conflict and quality of life (P = 0.009) and quality of life and comorbidity (P = 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis found statistically significant relationships for total decisional conflict score and the five decisional conflict scale subscales.

Conclusions:

Results may suggest a relationship between decisional conflict and quality of life, as well as the quality of life and comorbidity. In addition, there are several physical, emotional, and spiritual factors that may positively or negatively impact decisional conflict.

Evidence- based medicine performance among health care providers in Iranian hospitals: A nationwide survey

Background: Evidence- Based Medicine (EBM) refers to the ability and skill in the use and integration of the best evidence obtained from repeatable bias-free clinical trials with the patients' preferences and conditions. Considering this fact that few large-scale studies have been done in this field in Iran, the present study aimed at comprehensively reviewing the status of EBM performance among health care providers in Iranian hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2014 and 2015. Study participants consisted of 2800 health care providers (physicians, nurses, midwives, and paramedical personnel) in active hospitals in Iran. Data collection tool was a self-made questionnaire. Content validity of the questionnaire was improved by comments of 10 experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using test-retest method (α= 0.85). Results: The results revealed that only 12.7% and 15.8% of the participants were highly familiar with EBM databases and terminologies, respectively. Most participants believed that EBM-related workshops and practical involvement in EBM-related programs and activities can have a more effect on the improvement of EBM performance. Most participants had a positive view of the EBM. About 47% of the participants reported that their EBM knowledge and skills is high. Among the demographic variables, there were only significant relationships between work experience and attitude, gender and attitudes, and between knowledge and skills (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, it seems that holding EBM-related workshops and practical participation in EBP-related programs and activities as well as improving facilities such as manpower, equipment, and access can have a significant effect on improving EBM- related activities.

Differences in Predictions for Survival and Expectations for Goals of Care between Physicians and Family Surrogate Decision Makers of Chronically Critically Ill Adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy and concordance between physicians (MDs) and family surrogate decision makers (FSDMs) in predicting 3 month post-hospital patient mortality and concordance in identifying patient goals of care. A prospective cohort study was conducted in 3 intensive care units (ICUs). Two-hundred and sixty-four FSDMs and 54 attending MDs of patients who had resided in the ICU for >3 days were enrolled in the study. Expectation for mortality was measured dichotomously and goals of care were measured using a continuous visual analog scale. A value of 50 represented equal weight placed on goals of survival and QOL. Both MDs and FSDMs had mortality predictions that were lower than actual mortality. For MDs and FSDMs, their mortality predictions were most accurate at study enrollment. Discordance between MD and FSDM goals of care ranged from 36.4% at enrollment to 55.4% 15 days later (p=0.003). Our findings of optimistic prognosis for survival are consistent with the work of others. Our high rate of discordance regarding goals of care provided support for the need to establish standard processes to assure that values of patients and families are solicited and incorporated into treatment discussions for long-stay ICU patients.