Easier symptom and quality-of-life reporting for breast cancer patients in community cancer centers
Increasing Engagement in Patient Reported Outcome Measurement to Improve Breast Cancer Care using Health Information Technology in Community Cancer Settings
This project will try new ways to help breast cancer patients at community hospitals use an electronic system to report symptoms and quality-of-life concerns.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11180170 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a breast cancer patient at one of the participating community centers, you may be invited to use an Epic-linked app called imPROVE to report symptoms and concerns between visits. The team will work with five community cancer centers to learn what makes reporting easy or hard and then build flexible ways for patients to share PROs that fit each clinic. They will roll out the approaches in phases, use rapid Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to refine them based on feedback, and measure reach and impact using the RE-AIM framework. The study is done in partnership with the Association of Community Cancer Centers and focuses on making the system fit patients' needs and local clinic workflows.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Breast cancer patients receiving care at one of the five participating community cancer centers (Boston Medical Center; Baptist Hospital, Memphis; Brooklyn Methodist; University of Maryland, Baltimore; Luminis Health, Lanham MD) who can use or access the Epic-integrated patient reporting tools.
Not a fit: Patients who are not treated at the participating centers, who cannot access the electronic portal or mobile tools, or who do not have breast cancer are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it easier for your care team to see and respond to symptoms and quality-of-life issues sooner.
How similar studies have performed: Prior oncology research shows that routine patient-reported outcome collection can improve symptom management and patient experience, but adapting Epic-integrated PRO systems specifically for community cancer centers is less established.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pusic, Andrea Louise — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Pusic, Andrea Louise
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.