Browsing by Author "Joung, Rachel Hae-Soo"

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    A National Quality Improvement Study Identifying and Addressing Cancer Screening Deficits Due To the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (Wiley, 2022) Joung, Rachel Hae-Soo; Nelson, Heidi; Mullett, Timothy W.; Kurtzman, Scott H.; Shafir, Sarah; Harris, James B.; Yao, Katharine A.; Brajcich, Brian C.; Bilimoria, Karl Y.; Cance, William G.; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Background: Cancer-related deaths over the next decade are expected to increase due to cancer screening deficits associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although national deficits have been quantified, a structured response to identifying and addressing local deficits has not been widely available. The objectives of this report are to share preliminary data on monthly screening deficits in breast, colorectal, lung, and cervical cancers across diverse settings and to provide online materials from a national quality improvement (QI) study to help other institutions to address local screening deficits. Methods: This prospective, national QI study on Return-to-Screening enrolled 748 accredited cancer programs in the United States from April through June 2021. Local prepandemic and pandemic monthly screening test volumes (MTVs) were used to calculate the relative percent change in MTV to describe the monthly screening gap. Results: The majority of facilities reported monthly screening deficits (colorectal cancer, 80.6% [n = 104/129]; cervical cancer, 69.0% [n = 20/29]; breast cancer, 55.3% [n = 241/436]; lung cancer, 44.6% [n = 98/220]). Overall, the median relative percent change in MTV ranged from -17.7% for colorectal cancer (interquartile range [IQR], -33.6% to -2.8%), -6.8% for cervical cancer (IQR, -29.4% to 1.7%), -1.6% for breast cancer (IQR, -9.6% to 7.0%), and 1.2% for lung cancer (IQR, -16.9% to 19.0%). Geographic differences were not observed. There were statistically significant differences in the percent change in MTV between institution types for colorectal cancer screening (P = .02). Conclusion: Cancer screening is still in need of urgent attention, and the screening resources made available online may help facilities to close critical gaps and address screenings missed in 2020. Lay summary: Question: How can the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on cancer screening be mitigated? Findings: When national resources were provided, including methods to calculate local screening deficits, 748 cancer programs promptly enrolled in a national Return-to-Screening study, and the majority identified local screening deficits, most notably in colorectal cancer. Using these results, 814 quality improvement projects were initiated with the potential to add 70,000 screening tests in 2021. Meaning: Cancer screening is still in need of urgent attention, and the online resources that we provide may help to close critical screening deficits.
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    Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Patient-Reported Outcome Monitoring in Gastrointestinal Surgery
    (Elsevier, 2023) Iroz, Cassandra B.; Johnson, Julie K.; Ager, Meagan S.; Joung, Rachel Hae-Soo; Brajcich, Brian C.; Cella, David; Franklin, Patricia D.; Holl, Jane L.; Bilimoria, Karl Y.; Merkow, Ryan P.; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Introduction: More than 30% of patients experience complications after major gastrointestinal (GI) surgery, many of which occur after discharge when patients and families must assume responsibility for monitoring. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been proposed as a tool for remote monitoring to identify deviations in recovery, and recognize and manage complications earlier. This study's objective was to characterize barriers and facilitators to the use of PROs as a patient monitoring tool following GI surgery. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with GI surgery patients and clinicians (surgeons, nurses, and advanced practitioners). Patients and clinicians were asked to describe their experience using a PRO monitoring system in three surgical oncology clinics. Using a phenomenological approach, research team dyads independently coded the transcripts using an inductively developed codebook and the constant comparative approach with differences reconciled by consensus. Results: Ten patients and five clinicians participated in the interviews. We identified four overarching themes related to functionality, workflow, meaningfulness, and actionability. Functionality refers to barriers faced by clinicians and patients in using the PRO technology. Workflow represents problematic integration of PROs into the clinical workflow and need for setting expectations with patients. Meaningfulness refers to lack of patient and clinician understanding of the impact of PROs on patient care. Finally, actionability reflects barriers to follow-up and practical use of PRO data. Conclusions: While use of PRO systems for postoperative patient monitoring have expanded, significant barriers persist for both patients and clinicians. Implementation enhancements are needed to optimize functionality, workflow, meaningfulness, and actionability.
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    Behind the Curtain: Impact of Anesthesia Volume on Outcomes
    (American Medical Association, 2021) Joung, Rachel Hae-Soo; Bilimoria, Karl Y.; Merkow, Ryan P.; Surgery, School of Medicine