Scan, Screen, Support-A Digital Pathway for Assessing Supportive Care Needs in Oncology: Implementation Study

Electronic patient-reported outcome tools have the potential to enhance supportive care in oncology and support the timely and accurate identification of patients' needs.

This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a user-friendly, web-based digital screening tool at a German Comprehensive Cancer Center that systematically and efficiently assesses the supportive care needs of patients with cancer and enables direct referral to appropriate supportive services through seamless integration with the hospital information system.

An interdisciplinary team collaborated with the IT department and the company CANKADO, an electronic patient-reported outcome provider, to create a 14-item digital questionnaire. The tool incorporated validated instruments, such as the Distress Thermometer, the Nutrition Risk Screening, and a short form of the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale, aligned with German Cancer Society certification criteria. Patients accessed the questionnaire via QR codes. Screening results were automatically transferred to the hospital information system, where supportive care requests (SCRs) were generated automatically if indicated.

Between June 2024 and May 2025, a total of 8855 QR codes were generated. Of these, 4909 questionnaires were complete and valid for analysis. This information produced 3324 SCRs. Digital screenings resulted in an SCR in 22.4% of cases for psycho-oncology, 18.7% for nutrition, and 27.6% for palliative care. The digital screening maintained or slightly improved screening rates compared to prior methods.

The implementation of a digital supportive care screening was feasible and effective within the Comprehensive Cancer Center setting. Future efforts should focus on overcoming barriers for patients with limited digital access or capabilities to ensure the delivery of equitable supportive care.