PROTEUS — PRACTICE
Patient-Reported Outcomes During and Post-Radiation to Assess and Intervene on Toxicity in Patients with Head and Neck Cancers
University of Michigan, Michelle Mierzwa (Principal Investigator)
Here you can learn more about the “Patient-Reported Outcomes During and Post-Radiation to Assess and Intervene on Toxicity in Patients with Head and Neck Cancers,” which is part of the PROTEUS Learning Health Network. The Learning Health Network is focused on improving the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in oncology clinical practice. Also, you can read about the valuable insights that have emerged from their participation in the Learning Health Network.
Michelle Mierzwa, MD
Laila Gharzai, MD
Project Overview
Head/neck cancer patients experience significant side effects when undergoing radiation therapy for cancer treatment. Our study seeks to use a brief patient-reported outcome measure, FACT-HN-Rad, during treatment and follow-up to better track patient symptoms. Our key objectives include first implementing FACT-HN-Rad clinically, optimizing compliance, and assessing clinical impact by reducing symptoms that head/neck cancer patients experience.
Learning Health Network Experience
Being part of the LHN has helped us understand the range of methods available for implementing PROs, understand ways that we can display the data, and see the variety of clinical outcomes that can be impacted with PROs. We’ve learned from other researchers’ past mistakes or changes that they’ve made in their projects. And importantly, we can also connect with other researchers working on similar ideas to further advance our projects.