Validation of an Oncology-specific Instrument to Measure Care Coordination

University of Hawai'i Cancer Center Cancer Care Delivery Research: Validation of an Oncology-specific Instrument to Measure Care Coordination

The overarching goal of the project is to use a mixed-methods research design to assess the validity of a new instrument developed to assess cancer patients' perceptions of care coordination across varied care settings.

This proposed cancer care delivery research project aims to validate a new instrument (CCI; cancer care coordination instrument) designed to assess cancer patients' perceptions of care coordination. Care coordination (CC) is important for all patients, and it is especially important for cancer patients as they have complex episodes of care, multi-disciplinary interventions, prolonged duration of care, and an overall high symptom burden. Further, CC is critical for cancer patients due to several transition points between stages of care (diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end of life), varied settings of care (inpatient, ambulatory), and multiple physicians (medical, surgical, radiation oncologists) and other healthcare providers (e.g., oncology nurses, primary care physicians, physicians/nurses' assistants) providing care.

A CCI validated in ethnically/racially diverse samples can be utilized to identify potential targets for intervention and improvement in CC for specific populations and to reduce or eliminate the disparities in cancer health outcomes. Validation of the CCI under this proposal will have widespread applicability to oncology care across varied practice environments and will form a foundation for the creation of similar tools for other chronic and complex conditions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Active therapy for cancer, defined as a minimum of three exams or therapy visits over a preceding three-month period.
• Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

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