TOPIC 423 (PHASE II): AN INTEGRATED MULTI-LEVEL DECISION SUPPORT PLATFORM TO ADDRESS PATIENT-CENTERED AND EVIDENCE-BASED SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AMONG CANCER PATIENTS.

A strong body of evidence suggests that addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDH) within healthcare systems advances cancer treatment adherence and reduces disparities in outcomes; however, few studies actually intervene and provide resources to meet cancer patients’ SDH.

Integrating SDH with clinical information within operational Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems built into Electronic Health Records (EHR) is an essential approach for addressing cancer disparities.

We propose: (1) Providing a fully functional product with patient-facing and provider-facing interfaces to address SDH needs, (2) Testing it in a randomized controlled trial to assess its impact on cancer patient clinical endpoints and user satisfaction, and (3) Integrating it into the production environment in both academic and community-based hospitals to evaluate its use in a real-world setting.

Our approach combines expertise from software engineering, oncology, and social epidemiology.

Our solution will enhance oncology practice by collecting relevant SDH information from patients and recommending evidence-based clinical actions addressing patient SDH needs, resulting in improved cancer treatment outcomes.

Our solution will connect patients to actual resources to meet their SDH needs and streamline communication with decision support for patients and their care teams, potentially reducing disparities and the burden of cancer on the patient and society.