A descriptive study of the connections between social risk and healthcare utilization with supportive oncology care.

Objective: This study utilized social risk data in the electronic heath record collected as part of routine clinical practice and examined relationships with supportive oncology care contacts and healthcare utilization.

Methods: A total of 2,807 cancer patients were screened for four social determinants of health (SDOH) domains (financial resource strain, housing instability, food insecurity, and transportation need) and categorized to low or high risk SDOH groups. The number of patient contacts with supportive oncology was compared amongst the groups.

Electronic Health Record Tracking of Psychosocial Care in the Context of Serious Illness: A Narrative Review.

The electronic health record (EHR) has emerged as a fundamental tool but has focused on physical care delivery. Psychosocial screenings and interventions are central to palliative care that supports whole person care models; however, EHR innovations to capture psychosocial care have not been optimized. A narrative review was conducted from 2009 to March 2023.

Digital Literacy at an Urban Cancer Center: Implications for Technology Use and Vulnerable Patients.

Purpose: eHealth literacy, or the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources, has become increasingly relevant in the era of COVID-19, when so many aspects of patient care became dependent on technology. We aimed to understand eHealth literacy among a diverse sample of patients with cancer and discuss ways for health systems and cancer centers to ensure that all patients have access to high-quality care.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of patients with cancer and caregivers was conducted at an NCI-designated cancer center to assess access to the Internet, smartphone ownership, use of mobile apps, willingness to engage remotely with the health care team, and use of the patient portal.

Developing a Palliative Radiation Oncology Service Line: The Integration of Advance Care Planning in Subspecialty Oncologic Care.

Within radiation oncology, there is often minimal attention on radiotherapy with palliative benefits due to the overlying focus on curative treatments. Historically at the University of Pennsylvania, advanced-stage patients are cared for by cancer site-specific teams rather than a more rapid treatment service model that focuses on patients' symptom needs and larger clinical issues within a palliative framework. Thus, the University of Pennsylvania created a designated palliative radiation oncology team to focus on the complex medical and relational issues of metastatic cancer patients.