Brief Communication: Bridging the gap: Leveraging digital symptom management to strengthen community oncology care

June Ng-A-Kein

Abstract


Community oncology clinics deliver much of Canada’s cancer care yet face persistent gaps in symptom management due to limited resources, inconsistent protocols, and lack of after-hours support. The nurse-led RESPONSe Program at Richmond Hospital Cancer Care Clinic demonstrates how digital innovation can standardize care, empower patients, and improve outcomes. Preliminary data from the Richmond pilot project show reduced mortality and greater patient and staff satisfaction, underscoring the potential for scalable, nurse-driven solutions to transform cancer care.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2023, June). Patients forget 40 to 80 percent of medical information immediately after appointments. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/case-studies/coe23-06.html

Basch, E., Deal, A. M., Kris, M. G., Scher, H. I., Hudis, C. A., Sabbatini, P., Rogak, L., Bennett, A. V., Dueck, A. C., Atkinson, T. M., Chou, J. F., Dulko, D., Sit, L., Barz, A., Novotny, P., Fruscione, M., Sloan, J. A., & Schrag, D. (2023). Symptom monitoring with patient-reported outcomes during routine cancer treatment: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 41(5), 901–909. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.22.01473

Cancer Care Alberta. (2024). ESAS-r Cancer: A revised symptom assessment tool for patients with cancer. Alberta Health Services. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/hp/cancer/if-hp-cancer-guide-ESASr-cancer.pdf

Government of British Columbia. (2023). 10-year cancer care action plan. Government of British Columbia. https://www.iccp-portal.org/sites/default/files/plans/CancerPlan2023.pdf

Lai-Kwon, J., et al. (2024). Improving cancer symptom management through digital platforms: A multicentre review. Journal of Oncology Practice, 20(1), 32–40.

Oncology Nursing Society. (2022). The role of advanced practice nurses in oncology: Mentorship, leadership, and clinical excellence. ONS Voice. https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/the-role-of-advanced-practice-nurses-in-oncology-mentorship-leadership-and-clinical-excellence

Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. (2017). Cancer treatment services. In 2017 annual report (pp. 130–179). Queen’s Printer for Ontario. https://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en17/v1_308en17.pdf

Stacey, D., Carley, M., Ng, T., Harrison, M., & Puts, M. (2024). Pan-Canadian oncology symptom triage and remote support (COSTaRS) protocols: Version 5.1 update. Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/COSTaRS/COSTaRS_Practice_Guides_English_October_2024_v5.1.pdf


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share