Assessing the System for High-Intensity Evaluation During Radiotherapy During Changes in Response to COVID-19

A secondary aim will be to evaluate the rates of acute care during COVID-19 with telehealth in comparison to the rates during our prior Quality Improvement (QI) project (NCT04277650), considering the risk prediction based on our previously developed ML algorithm. Patient risk during this period will be assessed by the ML algorithm and actual rates of Emergency Department visits and hospitalizations (acute encounters) will be compared to the results of our prior QI project. These data will be used to discern how actual rates of acute care compare to providers' expectations both with and without telehealth implementation. Reasons for acute encounters and associated healthcare costs compared to patients undergoing standard of care assessments in NCT04277650 will be assessed to determine the percentage that are COVID-19 related. Basic demographic, disease, location of acute care, form of clinical assessments (video, in-person, telephone, etc.), and treatment information regarding the patients will also be captured following the completion of the research project for assessment.

These endpoints will establish how our current COVID-19-based precautions impact treatment-related outcomes in patient care.

Inclusion criteria

• started outpatient radiation therapy with or without concurrent systemic therapy at Duke Cancer Center during the COVID-19 outbreak

Exclusion criteria

• undergoing total body radiation therapy for hematopoetic stem cell transplantation
• undergoing therapy as inpatient
• completed radiation therapy prior to algorithm execution