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Dr. Lorinda Coombs and colleagues publish mixed method study on treatment decision making in Journal of Geriatric Oncology
Adults 65 years and older are the largest grouping segment of our society, and they are also the largest group diagnosed with cancer. Treatment decisions for those with incurable, metastatic cancer require in-depth conversations regarding the benefits and costs of treatment, including current co-morbidities, side effects from treatment and the impact on quality of life.
Dr. Coombs and colleagues conducted a mixed method study for 14 months following 15 older adults with a mix of cancer diagnoses — both solid tumor and hematologic — measuring symptoms prior to each ambulatory oncology clinic encounter and then audio-recording the clinical encounter to identify and understand whether clinicians were integrating symptom burden and functional impact into treatment conversations. Only 7% of the participants had conversations about their treatment that integrated a discussion of symptoms, side effects and function. Dr. Coombs current research is in developing a Values Assessment tool which will facilitate conversations within the clinical encounter between patients and clinicians. The full article is available here.
Dr. Mark Toles and colleagues publish key findings from study testing efficacy of the Connect-Home Transitional Care Intervention
In their article "Connect-Home transitional care from skilled nursing facilities to home: A stepped wedge, cluster randomized trial," Dr. Mark Toles and his colleagues published key findings from an NINR R01-funded study that tested the efficacy of the Connect-Home transitional care intervention on patient and caregiver preparedness for care at home, and other patient and caregiver-reported outcomes. The full article is available here.
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