RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT07195513

Electronic Patient Reporting of Symptoms and Unmet Needs to Connect Patients With Advanced Cancer to Palliative Care Services

"PRO-CONNECT" Patient-Reported Outcomes to Coordinate Supportive Care for Unmet Needs During Cancer Treatment

Sponsor

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Enrollment

90 participants

Start Date

Feb 25, 2026

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Advanced Cancer Metastatic Cancer (Different Solid Tumour Types)Palliative Care, Health Services Palliative Care Referral

Summary

This study is testing whether electronic surveys can help patients with advanced cancer report their symptoms and care needs so their doctors can connect them to palliative/supportive care services sooner. The goal is to see if this approach can make it easier for patients to get support for symptoms, quality of life, and other needs during cancer treatment.

Eligibility

Min Age: 18 Years

Inclusion Criteria3

Age ≥18 years.
Diagnosis of unresectable or metastatic, incurable thoracic, gastrointestinal, or breast solid tumor.
Receiving active cancer-directed therapy longitudinally in the outpatient oncology clinic and expected to continue treatment.

Exclusion Criteria4

Members of vulnerable populations, including infants, minors, individuals unable to provide informed consent, and those who are incarcerated or imprisoned at the time of enrollment.
Already established with palliative care, defined as having a scheduled future palliative care appointment, a pending referral, or a visit with palliative care within the past 90 days.
Unable to provide informed consent in English.
Cognitive impairment that, in the judgment of the treating clinician, would preclude study participation.

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Interventions

BEHAVIORALePRO-Directed Referral and Navigation to Palliative/Supportive Care

This intervention combines routine electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) symptom monitoring with additional components designed to connect patients more directly to palliative/supportive care. In addition to weekly ePRO symptom surveys, participants complete a monthly palliative care-focused ePRO survey, receive structured palliative care education from a trained study coordinator, and are offered navigation support to facilitate access to palliative/supportive care services. Severe or persistent symptoms or unmet needs reported on ePROs generate an alert to the oncology team along with a recommendation for palliative care referral. This multicomponent approach is intended to address gaps in timely referral and access to palliative/supportive care that are not addressed through symptom monitoring alone.

OTHERePRO Symptom Monitoring with Usual Palliative Care Referral

Participants will be offered weekly electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) symptom monitoring surveys and instructions on contacting the oncology team for symptom management. Referral to palliative care occurs according to usual clinical practice. Current standard of care processes for managing symptoms at DCC vary across clinics and may or may not include ePRO monitoring based on the practice of the individual clinician and disease team. Unlike the intervention arm, participants do not receive structured palliative care education, a monthly palliative care-focused ePRO survey, navigation support, or referral alerts generated from persistent or severe symptoms and unmet care needs.