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The following is a summary of “Effectiveness of a Cardiovascular Health Electronic Health Record Application for Cancer Survivors in Community Oncology Practice: Results From WF-1804CD,” published in the November 2024 issue of Oncology by Weaver et al.  

Survivors of cancer are at increased risk for cardiovascular health (CVH) issues. Guidelines recommend CV risk assessment and counseling during their follow-up care.  

Researchers conducted a prospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of the automated heart-health assessment (AH-HA) tool in promoting CVH discussions for survivors of cancer.  

They randomized oncology practices to the AH-HA tool or usual care (UC). Survivors of cancer receiving routine care ≥6 months after curative cancer treatment were enrolled (N=645). The tool displayed CVH factors from the electronic health record (EHR) and cancer treatments with cardiotoxic potential. Survivor-reported discussions of nonideal or missing CVH factors were assessed using mixed-effects logistic regression (P<.001).  

The results showed that 98% of survivors of cancer in AH-HA practices reported discussions of ≥1 nonideal or missing CVH factor, compared to 55% in UC practices (P<.001). The mean number of factors discussed was significantly higher in AH-HA (4.06 vs. 1.27, P<.001). The EHR-documented discussions were also higher in AH-HA (3.83 vs. 0.77, P=.03). Survivors of cancer in AH-HA practices were more likely to report a recommendation to see a primary care provider (39%) compared to UC practices (25%, P=.02). Recommendations to see a cardiologist were low (approximately 6%) and did not differ between groups.  

They concluded that the AH-HA tool effectively promoted CVH discussions and primary care recommendations for survivors of cancer.  

Source: ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.24.00342