Jefferson is aiming to improve symptom tracking for cancer patients with a $1 million grant
Doctors hope to better monitor patients between visits by having them log symptoms through the patient portal.
Jefferson Health wants to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations among cancer patients by monitoring symptoms between visits through an online tracking program.
Jefferson announced on Tuesday that it will build a symptom-tracking tool within its online patient portal as part of a four-year, $1 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a national nonprofit that funds research on health-care quality. Patients will be able to report symptoms through their online account and get more immediate care if they develop complications that require hospitalization.
“This brings the ability to have care brought into the home,” said Andrew Chapman, director of Jefferson’s Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. “You’re connecting with patients between their office visits.”
The electronic patient-reported outcome, or ePRO, program could be particularly valuable for cancer patients. Cancer treatments can be intense, with a range of potential side effects. Many treatments for killing cancer cells weaken the body’s immune system, putting patients at greater risk for developing symptoms that require emergency hospitalization.
» READ MORE: Jefferson’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center receives highest federal designation
Better symptom monitoring between visits
Research has found that proactively checking in with patients between visits can reduce the likelihood of complications that require additional care and hospitalizations.
“This type of intervention makes cancer patients feel less alone in fighting cancer and, as importantly, it has a measurable impact on their outcomes,” Kuang-Yi Wen, a behavioral scientist at Jefferson who will direct the PCORI award, said in a statement.
Chapman and Patricia Henwood, Jefferson’s chief clinical officer, are coprincipal investigators on the project.
For Jefferson’s online symptom monitoring initiative to work, project leaders must focus on making it accessible for patients to easily enter information, Chapman said.
In addition to getting patients emergency care faster, the tool could help shape ongoing treatment plans. Doctors would gain greater insight to how patients are handling treatment.
Developers will also be looking at how to make the information most useful to doctors. Better understanding patients’ symptoms — even if they don’t require immediate attention — could help doctors shape their treatment plans for patients, Chapman said.