Developing and evaluating new models of care in hematology.

53Background: The duration of care for patients with hematological malignancies (HM) from diagnosis to discharge can often be five years or longer, during which patients frequently visit their hematologist but may not maintain contact with their primary care physician (PCP). This can result in gaps in the care of non cancer health problems. A number of studies in solid tumors have highlighted the benefits of maintaining contact with the PCP however there has been little published on survivorship care in HM. Objective. Develop and evaluate models of care in hematology that facilitate transition to the PCP where appropriate. Methods: This study used a stepwise approach to inform the development and evaluation of care models. Models were developed using: a literature review; expert opinion; input from patient and PCP focus groups. The survivorship model (SM) was evaluated in a longitudinal, cohort of patients using validated patient surveys: Coordination of Cancer Care Questionnaire; Edmonton Symptom Assessm...