Lauren Reed-Guy Receives Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology

Congratulations to Dr. Lauren Reed-Guy for receiving the Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology!

The Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. The purpose of these grants is to fund physicians during the transition from a fellowship program to a faculty appointment.

Dr. Lauren Reed-Guy received this award for her project, “Evaluating a bidirectional priming intervention for goals-of-care communication in oncology (Prime GOC).”

PROJECT SUMMARY: Prime GOC is a prospective, randomized pilot feasibility study evaluating a novel intervention to facilitate goals-of-care communication with oncology patients at high risk of short-term mortality. Engaging in goals-of-care communication improves patient and caregiver quality of life while reducing the provision of unwanted and aggressive end-of-life care. Still, many patients with advanced cancer do not have the opportunity to discuss their goals and end-of-life preferences with their oncologist.

Hospitalization has been shown to be a marker of poor outcomes among patients with solid malignancies, representing a time point at which goals-of-care discussions are appropriate. Over the next year, the study will enroll 80 patients with advanced lung and GI cancers admitted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Participants will complete a short priming survey assessing disease understanding and treatment goals, the responses to which will be shared with each participant’s outpatient oncology team along with an EHR-based nudge encouraging clinicians to discuss these topics at the participant’s next clinic visit. Qualitative interviews with clinicians will be conducted after the conclusion of participant enrollment. The primary objectives of this project are to evaluate the feasibility of this intervention strategy and to estimate its effect size on the rate of goals-of-care documentation within 30 days of hospital discharge.