Parsons Helen M, Haynes David, Blaes Anne, Church Timothy R, Halberg Julia, Johnson Steven G, Karaca-Mandic Pinar
Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
J Clin Transl Sci. 2024 Sep 30;8(1):e139. doi: 10.1017/cts.2024.570. eCollection 2024.
Given the dramatic growth in the financial burden of cancer care over the past decades, individuals with cancer are increasingly susceptible to developing social needs (e.g., housing instability and food insecurity) and experiencing an adverse impact of these needs on care management and health outcomes. However, resources required to connect individuals with needed social and community services typically exceed the available staffing within clinical teams. Using input from focus groups, key informant interviews, user experience/user interface testing, and a multidisciplinary community advisory board, we developed a new technology solution, ConnectedNest, which connects individuals in need to community based organizations (CBOs) that provide services through direct and/or oncology team referrals, with interfaces to support all three groups (patients, CBOs, and oncology care teams). After prototype development, we conducted usability testing, with participants noting the importance of the technology for filling a current gap in screening and connecting individuals with cancer with needed social and community services. We employ a patient-empowered approach that engages the support of an individual's healthcare team and community organizations. Future work will examine the integration and implementation of ConnectedNest for oncology patients, oncology care teams, and cancer-focused CBOs to build capacity for effectively addressing distress in this population.
鉴于在过去几十年中癌症治疗的经济负担急剧增长，癌症患者越来越容易出现社会需求（例如住房不稳定和粮食不安全），并感受到这些需求对护理管理和健康结果产生的不利影响。然而，将患者与所需的社会和社区服务联系起来所需的资源通常超过临床团队现有的人员配备。通过焦点小组、关键信息提供者访谈、用户体验/用户界面测试以及多学科社区咨询委员会的意见，我们开发了一种新的技术解决方案ConnectedNest，它通过直接和/或肿瘤学团队转诊，将有需要者与提供服务的社区组织（CBO）联系起来，并设有支持所有三个群体（患者、CBO和肿瘤护理团队）的界面。在原型开发之后，我们进行了可用性测试,参与者指出该技术对于填补当前筛查空白以及将癌症患者与所需的社会和社区服务联系起来的重要性。我们采用患者赋权的方法，获得个人医疗团队和社区组织的支持。未来的工作将研究ConnectedNest在肿瘤患者、肿瘤护理团队和专注于癌症的CBO中的整合与实施，以建立有效解决这一人群痛苦的能力。
