Improving Care After Chemotherapy

Overview

The main purpose of this study is to examine changes in patient-reported symptoms during the first two cycles of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and breast cancer, among patients who receive standard care plus a proactive nursing intervention relative to patients who receive standard care alone. Interventions to improve symptom management and prevent urgent care needs in both the clinic and hospital for patients receiving chemotherapy with curative intent are needed to enhance the quality of cancer care.

* Participants with NSCLC, CRC or breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy will be asked to fill out self-report questionnaires at their first chemotherapy administration visit, in order to measure patient-reported symptoms, psychological distress, and satisfaction with oncology care. * Participants will then be randomized into one of the two study groups: standard care with proactive phone calls from nurse practitioners or standard care alone. * Participants assigned to the standard care group will be treated by their care team as would any other cancer patient. * Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive four proactive phone calls from nurse practitioners designed to discuss symptom burden and management. Proactive phone calls will occur 2-4 days after chemotherapy administration and 5-7 days after chemotherapy administration, during cycles 1 and 2. * Participants will be asked to fill out the same set of questionnaires during their second and third chemotherapy administration visits, to assess patient-reported symptoms, psychological distress, and satisfaction with oncology care. * Medical records will be reviewed at 24-weeks following the first chemotherapy administration visit, to evaluate frequency of urgent outpatient cancer center visits, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions that occurred during the study period.