A Lay Health Worker–Led Symptom Intervention and Acute Care Use in Older Adults With Cancer

Does a lay health worker–led symptom assessment intervention reduce acute care use among older adults with cancer at scale?In this randomized clinical trial of 416 participants, those who received the lay health worker symptom assessment intervention had significant reductions in any emergency department use (61 [30.5%] vs 103 [47.7%]) and any hospitalization (37 [18.5%] vs 86 [39.8%]) at 12 months compared with those who received usual cancer care only.These findings demonstrate effectiveness of a lay health worker–led symptom assessment intervention at scale for older adults with cancer.

Corresponding Author: Manali I. Patel, MD, MPH, MS, Stanford University School of Medicine, 3180 Porter Dr, Stanford, CA 94306 (manalip@stanford.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.