A scoping review of the evidence on survivorship care plans among minority, rural, and low-income populations

Willi L Tarver; Zion Justice; Pallavi Jonnalagadda; Saurabh Rahurkar; Samilia Obeng-Gyasi; Jessica L Krok-Schoen; Abigail Petrecca; Electra D Paskett

doi:10.1007/s11764-024-01609-z

A scoping review of the evidence on survivorship care plans among minority, rural, and low-income populations

J Cancer Surviv. 2024 Jun 22. doi: 10.1007/s11764-024-01609-z. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Willi L Tarver^{1

2

3}, Zion Justice⁴, Pallavi Jonnalagadda⁵, Saurabh Rahurkar^{5

6}, Samilia Obeng-Gyasi⁷, Jessica L Krok-Schoen⁸, Abigail Petrecca⁵, Electra D Paskett^{9

10}

Affiliations

¹ James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. willi.tarver@osumc.edu.
² Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. willi.tarver@osumc.edu.
³ The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. willi.tarver@osumc.edu.
⁴ Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, OH, USA.
⁵ The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁶ Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁷ Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁸ Division of Health Sciences, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁹ James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
¹⁰ Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.

PMID: 38907799
DOI: 10.1007/s11764-024-01609-z

Abstract

Purpose: Despite recent advances in cancer control and the number of cancer survivors increasing substantially over the past years, some cancer survivors continue to experience disparities due to barriers to recommended survivorship care. The use of survivorship care plans (SCPs) may be a way to help care for these individuals and their respective issues after they complete their primary treatment. The purpose of this scoping review is to understand the evidence on SCPs among minority, rural, and low-income populations: groups that experience disproportionately poorer cancer health outcomes.

Methods: Computer-based searches were conducted in four academic databases. We included peer-reviewed studies published in the English language and conducted in the USA. We systematically extracted information from each paper meeting our inclusion criteria.

Results: Our search identified 45 articles. The 4 major themes identified were (1) disparities in the receipt of SCPs where populations experience unmet needs; (2) benefits of SCPs, including improved care coordination and self-management of cancer; (3) needs and preferences for survivorship care; and (4) barriers and facilitators to using SCPs.

Conclusions: Despite the potential benefits, underserved cancer survivors experience disparities in the receipt of SCPs and continue to have unmet needs in their survivorship care. Survivorship care may benefit from a risk-stratified approach where SCPs are prioritized to survivors belonging to high-risk groups.

Implications for cancer survivors: SCPs are a tool to deliver quality care for cancer survivors. While evidence is mixed on SCPs' benefits among the general population, SCPs show promise for underserved populations when it comes to proximal outcomes that contribute to disparities.

Keywords: Cancer; Cancer survivorship; Survivorship care plans; Systematic review; Underserved populations.

Publication types

Review