Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Dr. Ken Nelson, III, DNP, RN, NE-BC, CPHQ
 

 

DNP Project Abstract

Implementation of a Social Determinants of Health Assessment Tool for Adult Cancer Patients

Purpose
Determine if identification of SDOH needs prior to cancer treatment initiation will lead to better treatment outcomes.

Methods
Project design: Plan-Do-Study-Act Measures

Aim: Improve identification of SDOH disparities in the initial treatment of adult patients with cancer through the utilization of a SDOH assessment tool from none identified (this was not currently addressed in the practice setting) to 50% identification over a period of 12 weeks.

Results
A two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed that SDOH needs were slightly more readily identified following cancer treatment initiation following a diagnosis of cancer for adult patients with private insurance. Participants ranged from 33-79 years old (M = 58, SD = 15.14). The standardized effect size was small (0.17).

Two of 24 patients had pre-treatment SDOH needs identified with the SDOH screening tool. Five of 24 patients were identified as having post-treatment SDOH needs.

Implications for Practice
There was little improvement in identification of SDOH disparities by introduction of a SDOH screening tool at the time of cancer diagnosis in adult patients surveyed. Based upon this finding, no changes are indicated for fully-insured patients. A similar study in patients without health insurance is indicated.