Assessing Effectiveness and Implementation of an EHR Tool to Assess Heart Health Among Survivors (AH-HA)

April 2, 2026 updated by: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Assessing Effectiveness and Implementation of an EHR Tool to Assess Heart Health Among Survivors (AH-HA)

The objective of this hybrid effectiveness-implementation study is to examine the effects of an EHR-based cardiovascular health assessment tool (AH-HA) among breast, prostate, colorectal, endometrial, and Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer survivors (N=600) receiving survivorship care in community oncology practices, using a group-randomized trial design (6 intervention practices and 6 usual care practices). Our central hypothesis is that the AH-HA tool will increase (1) cardiovascular health (CVH) discussions among survivors and oncology providers, (2) referrals and visits to primary care and cardiology (care coordination), and (3) cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction and health promotion activities compared to usual care.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

In this hybrid effectiveness-implementation group-randomized clinical trial, 6 intervention practices will receive an EHR-based cardiovascular health assessment tool (Automated Heart Health Assessment for Survivors: AH-HA) and 6 practices will serve as usual care (control) practices without access to the AH-HA tool. AH-HA renders a visual, interactive display of CVH risk factors, automatically populated from the EHR. This tool was first implemented in primary care and now incorporates EHR data on receipt of cancer treatments with cardiotoxic potential. Providers at each intervention site will be trained to use the tool during routine follow-up care with survivors. Eligible survivors with breast, prostate, colorectal, endometrial, or Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer (n=600) will provide baseline data before and immediately after seeing their oncology provider and complete 6-month and 1-year study follow-up visits. The study team will compare changes in outcomes from baseline to 1-year in survivors at the intervention and usual care clinics using data from survivor self-reports and the EHR. The primary outcome is CVH discussions defined as the number of patient-reported discussions with their provider regarding up to seven non-ideal CVH conditions identified for that patient during oncology visits. Secondary outcomes include referrals to primary care and cardiology, provider efforts to manage CV risk, survivors' completed visits with primary care providers and cardiologists, and control of CVH factors and behaviors. Implementation metrics will be assessed using data from the EHR and semi-structured interviews with providers and administrators (n=24-30) at intervention clinics.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

645

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Arkansas
      • Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, 72903
        • Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
    • Iowa
      • Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, 52403
        • Oncology Associates at Mercy Medical Center
    • Missouri
      • Ballwin, Missouri, United States, 63011
        • Saint Louis Cancer and Breast Institute-Ballwin
      • Springfield, Missouri, United States, 65804
        • Mercy Hospital Springfield
      • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63141
        • Mercy Hospital Saint Louis
    • Oklahoma
      • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73120
        • Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City
    • Pennsylvania
      • Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, 18510
        • Community Medical Center
      • Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, 18711
        • Geisinger Wyoming Valley/Henry Cancer Center
    • Tennessee
      • Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38120
        • Baptist Memorial Hospital and Cancer Center-Memphis
      • Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38120
        • Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women
    • Virginia
      • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298
        • Virginia Commonwealth University/Massey Cancer Center
    • Wisconsin
      • Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, 54911
        • ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • >= 6 months post-potentially curative cancer treatment for breast, prostate, colorectal, or endometrial cancers or Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Ongoing hormonal therapies such as tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors (with or without adjuvant CDK 4/6 inhibitors such as abemaciclib), or androgen deprivation are allowed.
  • Scheduled for a routine cancer-related follow-up care visit within the next 30 days with a provider who received training to use AH-HA.
  • Able and willing to complete a follow-up assessment in one year.
  • Survivors must have no evidence of disease at the time of last medical visit for all cancers, except non-melanoma skin disease.
  • Age >= 18 years.
  • Able to understand and willing to provide verbal informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Survivors will be excluded if they have a history of cancer recurrence for any cancer other than non-melanoma skin disease.
  • Prostate patients on active surveillance will be excluded.
  • Survivor does not speak English or Spanish.
  • Survivors who are currently on another interventional protocol in which cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., blood pressure, smoking, diet, physical activity) are being addressed, as per patient self-report or research staff members' knowledge at the time of consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention - AH-HA tool
With assistance from the study team, the clinic will implement the AH-HA tool in the clinics' EPIC EHR. Providers at the intervention sites will be trained to use the tool during routine follow-up care with survivors. During a routine follow-up care appointment, the provider will use the AH-HA tool with enrolled patients.
The Automated Heart-Health Assessment tool implemented in clinics' EPIC EHR will be used by providers during routine follow-up care appointments.
No Intervention: Usual Care
Usual care practices will conduct routine follow-up care visits for enrolled survivors following typical clinic practice, without use of the AH-HA tool.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of Patients Reporting Discussion of at Least One Non-ideal or Missing CVH Topic
Time Frame: Baseline
Discussion of non-ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) factors (yes or no). CVH discussions will be defined as patient-reported discussions with their provider for any of the seven non-ideal CVH conditions identified for that patient. Conditions include CVH factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose/hemoglobin A1c) and CVH behaviors (body mass index, smoking, diet, and physical activity). Measured using survivor survey (discussions, diet, and primary care) and EHR for other CVH factors.
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Referrals to Primary Care to Manage CV Risk
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction of referrals to providers regarding CVH at survivor baseline visit.
Baseline
Referrals to Cardiology to Manage CV Risk
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction of referrals to providers regarding CVH at survivor baseline visit.
Baseline
Ordering of CVH-relevant Labs and Treatments to Manage CV Risk: Cholesterol Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction.
Baseline
Ordering of CVH-relevant Labs and Treatments to Manage CV Risk: Glucose Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction.
Baseline
Ordering of CVH-relevant Labs and Treatments to Manage CV Risk: A1c Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction.
Baseline
Ordering of CVH-relevant Labs and Treatments to Manage CV Risk: Cholesterol Medication
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction.
Baseline
Ordering of CVH-relevant Labs and Treatments to Manage CV Risk: Diabetes Medication
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction.
Baseline
Ordering of CVH-relevant Labs and Treatments to Manage CV Risk: Blood Pressure Medication
Time Frame: Baseline
Medical chart abstraction.
Baseline
Any Completed Visits With Primary Care Providers
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction of completed visits to providers regarding CVH one year from survivor baseline visit
1 year
Any Completed Visits With Cardiology Providers
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction of completed visits to providers regarding CVH one year from survivor baseline visit
1 year
Change in CVH Behaviors Recorded in the Past Year: Smoking Status
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Proportion of participants who were non-smoking at 1-year, of those who were smoking at baseline.
1 year
Change in CVH Behaviors Recorded in the Past Year: BMI
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in BMI from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Change in CVH Behaviors Recorded in the Past Year: Physical Activity
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in total minutes of physical activity per week from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Change in CVH Behaviors Recorded in the Past Year: Healthy Diet Score
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in healthy diet score from baseline to 1-year. Healthy diet score is calculated from the sum of 5 diet questions (range: 0-5) with higher scores indicating a healthier diet.
1 year
Change in CVH Factors Recorded in the Past Year: Total Cholesterol
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in total cholesterol from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Change in CVH Factors Recorded in the Past Year: Systolic Blood Pressure
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in systolic blood pressure l from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Change in CVH Factors Recorded in the Past Year: Diastolic Blood Pressure
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in diastolic blood pressure l from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Change in CVH Factors Recorded in the Past Year: A1c
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in A1c from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Change in CVH Factors Recorded in the Past Year: Glucose
Time Frame: 1 year
Medical chart abstraction; Patient survey as secondary, verification source. Change in glucose from baseline to 1-year.
1 year
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: I am Confident I Understand my Risk of Heart Disease
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: I Understand What Steps I Need to Take to Maintain or Improve my Heart Health
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: I Plan to Take Steps to Maintain or Improve my Heart Health Within the Next Year
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: Cancer Poses a Risk to my Health
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: Heart Disease Poses a Risk to my Health
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: I Think it is Important to Talk to my Oncology Provider About my Heart Health
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: I Think it is Important to Talk to my Primary Care Provider About my Heart Health
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Patient Perception and Knowledge of CV Risks: Oncology Providers Should Talk to Their Patients About Their Heart Health
Time Frame: Baseline
Measured using structured survivor survey. Health knowledge questions were adapted from a survey assessing the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in United States populations. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Models are estimating the proportion of participants who answered the question as Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree at pre-visit baseline who then answered Agree/Strongly Agree at post-visit baseline.
Baseline
Proportion of Survivors for Whom AH-HA is Utilized
Time Frame: Baseline
We will capture the number of eligible patient visits during which the AH-HA tool was used in intervention clinics and the total number of eligible visits to calculate the proportion of patients where AH-HA was utilized.
Baseline
Measure of Tool Acceptability With Tool Assessment: I Liked the Heart Health Tool I Used Today With my Provider
Time Frame: Baseline
In the Baseline: Post-Visit Survey, survivors will complete a Tool Assessment questionnaire assessing whether or not they recall seeing or discussing the AH-HA tool with their provider and five questions assessing: how much they liked the tool, how helpful it was, how easy it was to understand, how much it improved their understanding, and if they would like to use this tool in the future. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Frequencies are presented for participants responding with Agree/Strongly Agree.
Baseline
Measure of Tool Acceptability With Tool Assessment: It Was Helpful to See my Heart Health Score
Time Frame: Baseline
In the Baseline: Post-Visit Survey, survivors will complete a Tool Assessment questionnaire assessing whether or not they recall seeing or discussing the AH-HA tool with their provider and five questions assessing: how much they liked the tool, how helpful it was, how easy it was to understand, how much it improved their understanding, and if they would like to use this tool in the future. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Frequencies are presented for participants responding with Agree/Strongly Agree.
Baseline
Measure of Tool Acceptability With Tool Assessment: I Found the Heart Health Tool Easy to Understand
Time Frame: Baseline
In the Baseline: Post-Visit Survey, survivors will complete a Tool Assessment questionnaire assessing whether or not they recall seeing or discussing the AH-HA tool with their provider and five questions assessing: how much they liked the tool, how helpful it was, how easy it was to understand, how much it improved their understanding, and if they would like to use this tool in the future. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Frequencies are presented for participants responding with Agree/Strongly Agree.
Baseline
Measure of Tool Acceptability With Tool Assessment: The Picture/Diagram Improved my Understanding of Heart Health
Time Frame: Baseline
In the Baseline: Post-Visit Survey, survivors will complete a Tool Assessment questionnaire assessing whether or not they recall seeing or discussing the AH-HA tool with their provider and five questions assessing: how much they liked the tool, how helpful it was, how easy it was to understand, how much it improved their understanding, and if they would like to use this tool in the future. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Frequencies are presented for participants responding with Agree/Strongly Agree.
Baseline
Measure of Tool Acceptability With Tool Assessment: I Would Like to Use This Tool to Talk About my Heart Health With my Oncology Provider at a Future Appointment
Time Frame: Baseline
In the Baseline: Post-Visit Survey, survivors will complete a Tool Assessment questionnaire assessing whether or not they recall seeing or discussing the AH-HA tool with their provider and five questions assessing: how much they liked the tool, how helpful it was, how easy it was to understand, how much it improved their understanding, and if they would like to use this tool in the future. Questions were asked on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Responses were categorizes as Agree/Strongly Agree or Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree. Frequencies are presented for participants responding with Agree/Strongly Agree.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kathryn Weaver, MD, Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 7, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

November 17, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 11, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

May 2, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 2, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Wake Forest NCORP Research Base is committed to following the NIH Statement on Sharing Research Data (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html). As of July 2018, the WF NCORP RB signed an agreement with NCI to contribute de-identified data and data dictionaries from clinical trials conducted through our RB to the NCI NCTN/NCORP data archive within 6 months of primary and non-primary publications of phase II/III and phase III trials to https://nctn-data-archive.nci.nih.gov/. This will become the primary means for sharing raw data, and we will adhere to the guidelines spelled out in the NCTN/NCORP Data Archive Usage Guide. De-identified data from studies not covered by the agreement (e.g., phase II and observational studies) will be made available upon request. All data files will be de-identified. De-identification procedures will meet the HIPAA criteria as detailed in the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 45, Section 164.514.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

6 months after publication for a 2 year duration.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

upon request to NCORP@wakehealth.edu

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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