Development of the Oncology Opportunity Cost Assessment Tool

Development of the Oncology Opportunity Cost Assessment Tool (OOCAT)

This study develops and tests an instrument to measure opportunity costs called the Oncology Opportunity Cost Assessment Tool (OOCAT) in cancer patients. Patients experience significant costs, both direct financial as well as indirect costs, associated with seeking cancer treatment. While the direct financial impact of care on patients is receiving increased attention, other important consequences, such as opportunity cost, remain largely unmeasured. Opportunity cost is an economics term that refers to the loss of potential benefits from other options when one option is chosen - if resources are used for one purpose, they are no longer available for the next best option. The information and knowledge gained from this study may help researchers develop the OOCAT, which may allow them to understand the opportunity cost of treatment for each patient. The OOCAT may then be used to determine not just the best medications for patients, but also the best comprehensive treatment plan that will allow them to get the right treatment in the right place at the right time.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm; Malignant Solid Neoplasm
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Focus Group; Other: Interview; Other: Research or Clinical Assessment Tool

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 40

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
      • Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients treated for cancer at Jefferson Center City, Jefferson Methodist Hospital, or Jefferson Abington

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Treated for cancer at one of the 3 participating sites (Jefferson Center City, Jefferson Methodist Hospital, Jefferson Abington)
• English speaking
• Able to attend and participate in a focus group

Exclusion Criteria:

• Treated at a Jefferson site other than the ones mentioned
• Non-English Speaking

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Health Services Research (focus group, interview, OOCAT); FOCUS GROUP: Patients participate in focus group session over 60-90 minutes. COGNITIVE INTERVIEW: Patients complete cognitive interview on the clarity, interpretability, and ease of use of the OOCAT. FEASIBILITY TESTING: Patients receive OOCAT at the point of care, online, or via telephone, per patients' preference.	Behavioral: Focus Group; Participate in focus group; Other: Interview; Complete cognitive interview; Other: Research or Clinical Assessment Tool; Receive OOCAT; Other Names: Clinical Assessment Tool, Clinical Assessment Tool, Clinical or Research Assessment Tool

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient-level opportunity costs associated with oncology care	Patient-identified themes that contribute to opportunity cost will be generated via patient focus groups	1 Day of Interview
Development of the Oncology Opportunity Cost Assessment Tool (OOCAT)	Will organize themes into domains and will generate items representing each of the themes for inclusion in an instrument designed to measure patient opportunity cost of seeking care. Will perform cognitive interviews with a random sampling of patients from the cancer center to test initial instrument items to ensure content validity and clarity of each item.	1 Day of Interview
Implementation of OOCAT	Will test the instrument as developed with patients receiving oncology care across the Jefferson Health System to gather preliminary data informing the reliability of the scale to measure opportunity cost of seeking care.	1 Day of OOCAT administration

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Thomas Jefferson University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 21, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 11, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): July 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 7, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 5, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19G.854; JT 14788 (Other Identifier: JeffTrial Number)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No