International Survey on Frailty Assessment in Patients with Cancer

Frailty negatively affects the outcomes of patients with cancer, and its assessment might vary widely in the real world. The objective of this study was to explore awareness and use of frailty screening tools among the ONCOassist healthcare professionals (HCPs) users. We sent 2 emails with a cross-s...

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Published in:The oncologist (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2022-10, Vol.27 (10), p.e796-e803
Main Authors: Banna, Giuseppe Luigi, Cantale, Ornella, Haydock, Maria Monica, Battisti, Nicolò Matteo Luca, Bambury, Kevin, Musolino, Naja, O'Carroll, Eoin, Maltese, Giuseppe, Garetto, Lucia, Addeo, Alfredo, Gomes, Fabio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Cancer patients
Care and treatment
Complications and side effects
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnosis
Evaluation
Frail elderly
Frailty - diagnosis
Frailty - epidemiology
Geriatric Oncology
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health surveys
Humans
Medical informatics
Neoplasms - complications
Neoplasms - epidemiology
Nurses
Public opinion
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Frailty negatively affects the outcomes of patients with cancer, and its assessment might vary widely in the real world. The objective of this study was to explore awareness and use of frailty screening tools among the ONCOassist healthcare professionals (HCPs) users. We sent 2 emails with a cross-sectional 15-item survey in a 3-week interval between April and May 2021. Differences in the awareness and use of tools according to respondents' continents, country income, and job types were investigated. Seven hundred thirty-seven HCPs from 91 countries (81% physicians, 13% nurses, and 5% other HCPs) completed the survey. Three hundred and eighty-five (52%) reported assessing all or the majority of their patients; 518 (70%) at baseline and before starting a new treatment. Three hundred and four (43%) HCPs were aware of performance status (PS) scores only, 309 (42%) age/frailty/comorbidity (AFC) screening, and 102 (14%) chemotoxicity predictive tools. Five hundred and thirty-seven (73%) reported using tools; 423 (57%) just PS, 237 (32%) AFC, and 60 (8%) chemotoxicity ones. Reasons for tools non-use (485 responders) were awareness (70%), time constraints (28%), and uselessness (2%). There were significant differences in awareness and use of screening tools among different continents, country income, job types, and medical specialties (P < .001 for all comparisons). Among selected oncology HCPs, there is still a worldwide lack of knowledge and usage of frailty screening tools, which may differ according to their geography, country income, and education. Targeted initiatives to raise awareness and education are needed to implement frailty assessment in managing patients with cancer.
ISSN:1083-7159
1549-490X
DOI:10.1093/oncolo/oyac133