title: Quality of life and satisfaction among prostate cancer patients followed in a dedicated survivorship clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Integrating quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes into clinics may assist providers in identifying and responding to problems experienced by cancer survivors. To date, however, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as QOL are used infrequently to guide care. We integrated QOL assessments into a prostate cancer survivorship clinic and compared recovery and satisfaction among men managed in the survivorship clinic with those followed with more routine care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a before-after study comparing 235 men treated surgically for prostate cancer who received routine follow-up care with 102 men managed in a survivorship clinic characterized by point-of-care QOL reporting and integration of QOL scores (EPIC) following radical prostatectomy. We then assessed baseline and postprostatectomy QOL at 6 and 12 months, as well as patient satisfaction, and compared outcomes between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although baseline QOL was comparable, scores were generally higher among the survivorship group at 6 months and 1 year compared with those followed with routine care. In particular, sexual function scores were significantly higher among patients managed in the survivorship clinic (52.2 vs 33.6 at 1 year, P < .01). Satisfaction scores were consistently higher in the survivorship clinic group compared with the routine-care group (all P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient QOL and satisfaction were higher among men managed in a survivorship program, suggesting that disease-specific survivorship clinics that integrate QOL reporting into care pathways may yield better outcomes compared with less tailored approaches to patient care following cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Genitourinary Oncology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida; Health Outcomes and Behavior Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Rodney L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wittmann
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hollingsworth
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Brent K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Hollenbeck
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Montie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D011788:Quality of Life; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: prostate cancer; quality of life assessment; survivorship care