Development of Health Pathways to Standardize Cancer Care Pathways Informed by Patient-Reported Outcomes and Clinical Practice Guidelines

Abstract

PurposeHigh-quality symptom management and supportive care are essential components of comprehensive cancer care. We aimed to describe the development of an evidence-based automated decisional algorithm for patients with cancer that had specific, actionable, clinical, evidence-based recommendations to improve patient care, communication, and management.MethodsWe reviewed existing literature and clinical practice guidelines to identify priority domains of patient care and potential clinical recommendations. Two multidisciplinary clinical advisory groups used a two-stage consensus decision-making approach to determine domains of care and patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures and subsequently developed automated algorithms with clear clinical recommendations amendable to intervention in clinical settings.ResultsAlgorithms were developed to inform management of patient symptoms, distress, and unmet needs. Three PRO measures were chosen: Distress Thermometer and problem checklist, Edmonton Symptom Assessment...