Healthcare Teams & Teamwork Processes in Cancer Care Delivery

Background

Reducing cancer morbidity and mortality requires interactions between patients, caregivers, clinicians, and clinical staff from primary care and multiple specialties. Challenges to and breakdowns in communication and coordination across the cancer continuum are common, diminish patient outcomes, and contribute to patient, caregiver, and clinician workload. Improving the function of healthcare teams, defined as two or more people who interact to achieve shared patient care goals, was identified by the National Academy of Medicine as a vital step toward delivering high-quality, well-coordinated care across the cancer care continuum for all people. The goal of the Healthcare Teams initiative is to advance a program of research that supports the development and implementation of evidence-based strategies that improve healthcare team functioning, care coordination, and cancer-related outcomes.

NCI is conducting several activities in service of building such a program of research. This work aims to:

Identify principles of team structure and teamwork processes that enhance the delivery of multidisciplinary cancer care
Promote generation of evidence-based interventions to strengthen teaming and care coordination across the cancer care continuum, particularly among underserved populations and during care transitions
Develop an interdisciplinary community of investigators whose research furthers an evidence-based understanding of team-based care structures and teamwork process that influence care coordination and equitable access to high-quality cancer care and other collaborators working to facilitate adoption of findings into cancer care practice

Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs)

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research on Interprofessional Teamwork and Coordination During Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
NOT-CA-22-014
Parent FOAs for investigator-initiated applications
- Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program
  PAR-21-035
- NIH Research Project Grant
  PAR 20-185

Additional resources:

To view sample awarded applications for each mechanism, visit Sample Healthcare Delivery Research Grant Applications
To view all other HDRP FOAs, visit Currently Open Funding Opportunity Announcements Relevant to Healthcare Delivery Research
FOA webinar

Related Activities

Related Publications & Reports

2016 Journal of Oncology Practice Special Series: NCI-ASCO Teams in Cancer Care

Sanchez JI, Doose M, Zeruto C, Chollette V, Gasca N, Verhoeven D, Weaver SJ. Multilevel factors associated with inequities in multidisciplinary cancer consultation. Health Serv Res. 2022 May 2. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13996. [View abstract ].
Doose M, Verhoeven D, Sanchez JI, Livinski AA, Mollica M, Chollette V, Weaver SJ. Team-Based Care for Cancer Survivors With Comorbidities: A Systematic Review. J Healthc Qual. 2022 Sep-Oct 01;44(5):255-268. doi: 10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000354. [View abstract ].
Weaver SJ, Verhoeven DC, Castro KM, Adjei BA, Geiger AM. Thematic Analysis of Organizational Characteristics in NCI Community Oncology Research Program Cancer Care Delivery Research. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2022 Mar 2;6(2):pkac008. doi: 10.1093/jncics/pkac008. [View abstract ].
Chollette V, Doose M, Sanchez J, Weaver SJ. Teamwork competencies for interprofessional cancer care in multiteam systems: A narrative synthesis. J Interprof Care. 2021 Jul 26:1-9. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2021.1932775. [View abstract ].
Mollica M, Buckenmaier S, Halpern M, McNeel T, Weaver SJ, Doose M, Kent E. Perceptions of care coordination among older adult cancer survivors: A SEER-CAHPS study. J of Geriatric Oncology. 2021,12(3):446-452. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.09.003. [View abstract ]
Verhoeven D, Chollette V, Lazzara EH, Shuffler ML, Osarogiagbon RU, Weaver SJ. The anatomy and physiology of teaming in cancer care delivery: A conceptual framework. J National Cancer Institute. 2021;113(4):360-370. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djaa166. [View abstract ]
Chollette V, Weaver SJ, Huang G, Tsakraklides S, Ping-Tu S. Identifying cancer care team competencies to improve care coordination in multiteam systems: A modified delphi study. JCO Oncology Practice. 2020; 16(11), e1324-e133. doi: 10.1200/OP.20.00001. [View abstract ]
Weaver SJ, Jacobsen P. Cancer care coordination: Opportunities for healthcare delivery research. Translational Behavioral Medicine. 2018;8;503-508. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibx079. [View abstract ]
Rosen MA, DiazGranados D, Dietz A, Benishek LE, Thompson D, Pronovost PJ, Weaver SJ. Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high quality care. American Psychologist. 2018;73(4): 433-450. doi: 10.1037/amp0000298. [View abstract ]
Prabhu Das I, Baker M, Altice C, Castro KM, Brandys B, Mitchell SA. Outcomes of multidisciplinary treatment planning in United States cancer care settings. Cancer. 2018;124(18):3656-3667. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31394. [View abstract ]
Weaver SJ, Che X, Petersen LA, Hysong S. Unpacking care coordination issues through a multi-team system lens: A conceptual framework & systematic review. Med Care. 2018;56(3): 247-259. [View abstract ]
Chollette V, Beasley DD, Abdiwahab E, Taplin S. Health information systems approach to managing task interdependence in cancer care teams. J Oncol Pract. 2017 Mar;13(3):154-156. [View abstract ]
Kosty MP, Hanley A, Chollette V, Bruinooge SS, Taplin SH. National Cancer Institute-American Society of Clinical Oncology Teams in Cancer Care Project. J Oncol Pract. 2016 Nov;12(11):955-958. [View abstract ]
Taplin SH, Weaver S, Salas E, Chollette V, Edwards HM, Bruinooge S, Kosty M. Reviewing cancer care team effectiveness. J Oncol Pract. 2015;11(3):239-46. Review. [View abstract ]
Taplin SH, Weaver S, Chollette VC, Bruinooge S, Marks L, Jacobs A, Schiff G, Stricker C, Salas E. Teams and teamwork during a cancer diagnosis: interdependency within and between teams. J Oncol Pract. 2015;11(3):231-8. Case study. [View abstract ]

Resources

For questions, please contact Veronica Chollette.

Last Updated: 02 Nov, 2022