Whole person cancer care: Analyzing patient needs and service utilization at Inova Schar Cancer.

Abstract

e23216 Background: Whole person cancer care is an approach that addresses the comprehensive physical, emotional, social, and practical needs of cancer patients and their families. Inova Schar Cancer (ISC) delivers holistic care through Inova Peterson Life with Cancer (PLWC), an interdisciplinary team providing integrative and supportive care services at no cost. PLWC also manages distress screening at ISC. Service usage is monitored via registrations for group programs and one-on-one consults documented in Epic. This quality improvement initiative aims to: (1) describe patient distress and unmet needs, (2) analyze participation in services to identify programming gaps, and (3) identify data collection limitations. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data collected from January 1 to December 31, 2024, encompassing distress screening, PLWC program registrations, and one-on-one consultations. Patients were screened for distress, which included reviewing and marking concerns from a list of 27 items. Results: In 2024, 7,381 patients were screened for distress (51% ≥65 years, 5% < 40 years; 61% female); 1,652 were identified as having elevated distress. The top concern was difficulty sleeping followed by nutrition, understanding treatment, mobility and strength, managing emotions, and memory changes/concentration. A total of 2,527 PLWC group programs were held; 51% fitness classes. Of the non-fitness programs, 41% were support/networking, 22% were educational, and 22% focused on stress reduction. One-on-one consults consisted of 47% behavioral health therapists, 31% nurse navigators, and 22% registered dietitians. Data collection gaps highlight the need for improved course documentation. This can include detailed program classification based on audience characteristics (e.g., patient, caregiver, age, cancer type/status), program type, and cancer symptoms likely to be impacted by the program, according to scientific evidence. Data did not include one-on-one fitness consults, psychiatry, acupuncture, or massage. Conclusions: PLWC programs and consultations effectively meet patient needs by addressing non-pharmacological symptom management through physical activity, nutrition, group support, behavioral health interventions, and education. This support is backed by evidence to improve sleep, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. Potential growth areas include expanding programs to address brain fog and tailoring services to specific patient groups or communities. Next steps include linking PLWC service data to the EMR to characterize trends in service usage, identify patients underutilizing PLWC services, and assess the impact of ISC PLWC on patient outcomes, healthcare utilization, and cost.