Overview

Overcoming Obstacles in Integrating Immunotherapies for Cancer in the Community Setting

Two ACCC Cancer Program members have been selected to participate in this quality improvement (QI) research study. The project is designed to assess the impact of comprehensive educational interventions on evidence-based integration of immunotherapies for cancer in the community. The educational interventions will target the entire multidisciplinary cancer care team as well as other healthcare professionals involved in caring for patients with cancer.

Participating in this research study are:

Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center
Centra Health
Lynchburg, VA

Cancer & Hematology Centers of Western Michigan
Grand Rapids, MI

Project Design

This QI research study will encompass five phases:

Phase 1. Quality measures development & site selection.
The project's expert Advisory Committee will identify 3 - 5 quality measures related to integration of immunotherapies into practice, as well as the assessment process to quantify adherence to the measures.

Phase 2. Data collection & analysis.
In addition to data collected from the participating sites' EHRs, patient-reported data will be collected to assess variations in care related to shared decision-making.

Phase 3. Development & implementation of educational interventions & assessment tools.
Once barriers to integration of immunotherapies are identified, educational interventions will be designed to address specific challenges and to identify potential strategies to overcome these barriers. Examples of potential educational interventions include tumor boards, webinars, and additional resources/tools.

Phase 4. Repeat data collection & analysis.
Post-intervention(s) implementation, adherence to the project's quality measures will be re-assessed to determine the impact of the educational intervention(s) on integration of immunotherapies for cancer in the community setting.

Phase 5. Analyze and publish.
Findings from the study will be shared with the ACCC membership and the wider oncology community.

Dr. Zibelman discusses managing immune-related adverse events with OncLive: