Outcomes of Cancer Survivorship Care Provided by Advanced Practice RNs Compared to Other Models of Care: A Systematic Review

Problem Identification: Advanced practice RNs (APRNs) have become leaders in providing survivorship care. However, outcomes of survivorship care provided by APRNs compared to other providers remain unclear.

Literature Search: A systematic literature search included articles published after 2005 that described a survivorship model of care and use of a survivorship care plan (SCP), as well as reported outcomes.

Data Evaluation: Sixteen studies were appraised and ranked by strength. Literature was evaluated based on the model of care, which included physicians, nurses, and APRNs who provided or reviewed SCPs. Outcomes evaluated were satisfaction, quality of life (QOL), and process/cost efficiency.

Synthesis: Survivorship care is reimbursable when provided by APRNs secondary to the ability to bill for services. Improved patient satisfaction and QOL are demonstrated when survivorship care is provided by APRNs. Incorporation of SCPs into health records improves process/cost efficiency.

Conclusions: Patient satisfaction was reported in all models of care. When compared to groups who received no survivorship care, no differences were reported in QOL, but survivorship care required extensive use of resources. Survivorship care provided by APRNs demonstrated improvement in satisfaction, QOL, and process/cost efficiency.

Implications for Nursing: Incorporating descriptions of care models and associated outcomes into randomized, controlled trials of survivorship care would provide stronger evidence to guide practice. Studies evaluating outcomes of process/cost efficiency should be considered for future research. Outcome research is needed regarding the incorporation of SCPs into electronic health records.