SBIR TOPIC 246- INTEGRATING PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES IN HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE C

Our technical objectives focus on identifying and overcoming stakeholder and technical barriers to integration of electronic patient-reported outcomes in palliative care and hospice services for cancer care. We will collaborate with a large integrated delivery network to identify, from the perspective of key stakeholders (e.g. oncologists, nurses, clinical support staff, and patients), barriers to acceptance and adoption of ePRO assessment in palliative care and hospice practice. We will test a working prototype of a palliative care and hospice ePRO assessment system with providers and patients. We will develop operational and technical solutions to stakeholder-identified barriers. We will develop a model for ePRO-based pain management improvement. We will then test and validate our solutions in a second round of focus groups with key stakeholders. Finally, we will develop a plan for full integration of ePRO into palliative care and hospice practice, and develop an evaluation plan for testing the system in a Phase II study.