Exploring Transitions in Care Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A Scoping Review

Individuals living with and beyond head and neck cancer (HNC) experience many transitions in care (TiC), as their treatment and care involve a team of multidisciplinary healthcare providers across a variety of settings. TiC can be associated with medical error, patient dissatisfaction with care, and overuse of healthcare resources. The objective of this study is to understand TiC among individuals living with and beyond HNC by mapping and characterizing the existing evidence.

This scoping review identified evidence sources describing TiC among individuals living with and beyond HNC by searching five medical research databases using structured language and keywords related to the population (cancer) and concept (TiC). Titles and abstracts, and full texts were screened in duplicate for eligibility. Eligible studies were those that described or evaluated TiC among individuals with HNC, of any study design published in any language without restriction based on the date of publication. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were synthesized using thematic analysis.

The search identified 26,431 unique evidence sources, of which 3375 were screened in full-text, and 57 were included. Most studies were conducted in the United States between 2001 and 2024 and were retrospective cohort studies. Included evidence sources most frequently focused on the delays in the transition from diagnosis to treatment, followed by the TiC from surgery to radiation. The majority of evidence sources reported system-level outcomes followed by patient-level outcomes. Eight evidence sources described interventions to improve TiC.

The study identified a gap in our evidence regarding transitions during active treatment and in evaluating interventions to improve TiC among individuals living with and beyond HNC. Future research should focus on bridging these gaps to improve TiC and consequently outcomes for individuals living with and beyond HNC.