From Screening to Support: A Multi-Method Analysis of HRSN Integration in Cancer Care

February 10, 2026 updated by: Thomas Jefferson University

This observational study aims to identify the factors that influence whether cancer patients accept or decline supportive care services after screening positive for health-related social needs (HRSNs) at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The study focuses on adult oncology patients who previously reported at least one HRSN-such as transportation, food, housing, or utility needs-but declined assistance when it was offered.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • What factors shape cancer patients' intentions to use supportive care services for HRSNs?
  • Why do patients who screen positive for HRSNs choose not to accept help offered by the healthcare system?

Participants will:

  • Complete a one-time electronic survey delivered via MyChart or email.
  • Optionally participate in a semi-structured Zoom interview (for a subset of 20-30 survey respondents) to explore decision-making in greater depth.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is a cross-sectional observational study. There will be 500 participants for MyChart survey and 20 participants for semi-structured interviews. Surveys will be distributed via MyChart and email and will take about 10 minutes to complete. The main purpose of this study is to understand why SKCCC participants are not seeking support for their corresponding HRSNs from the healthcare system. The hypothesis is that a range of factors are contributing to SKCCC patients' decline of resources to address risks identified in HRSN screening potentially inclusive of mistrust of healthcare systems, perception that there are no resources to help, feelings others can use the resources more than themselves, as well as protective factors like past resiliency and resourcefulness. An examination of the initial HRSN screening data for cancer patients within this health system revealed that, in 2024, 5,727 (74.7%; n=7662) patients who were in active cancer treatment completed the HRSN screening questionnaire in four domains: transportation access, food insecurity, housing instability, and utility needs. Of these, 716 patients (12.5%) reported having a need in at least one HRSN domain. However, only 343 patients (47.9%, n = 716) wanted help from the healthcare system to address their HRSN(s). This highlights that the majority (52.1%, n = 716) of cancer patients in active treatment who have been screened for HRSN have unmet needs that could be addressed but are not being flagged as such in our healthcare system. This preliminary data sheds light on the concrete and resource needs of cancer patients, but there is not a good understanding of why participants are not seeking support for their corresponding HRSNs from the healthcare system.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

500

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Locations

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

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult cancer patients who received care at SKCCC who were engaged in HRSN screening

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals must meet all of the following inclusion criteria in order to be eligible to participate in the study:

    • Provide informed consent via check box for survey
    • Provide verbal consent via Zoom for interview
    • Must be able to read and understand English
    • Willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study
    • Patients with existing HRSN data in their EHR that answere4d yes to risk in at least one domain and no to wanting help/follow up

Exclusion Criteria:

  • An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:

    • If they do not consent
    • Non-patients with existing HRSN data in their EHR
    • Individuals unable to complete the survey due to language barriers or other cognitive limitations

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Cancer Patients Screened for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs)
This group includes adult cancer patients receiving care at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) who previously completed a Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs) screening in the electronic health record. This will be achieved by providing patients with a one-time survey. The surveys will be distributed via MyChart messages and emails. Additionally, 20 patients who complete the survey will be asked to complete a short interview to further understand why cancer patients identified as high-risk for HRSNs decline connections to care and intervention-ultimately to gain an understanding into the factors that they take into account when determining whether they want to be connected to a resource or service connection related to HRSNs.
Other: Survey
Participants complete a one-time electronic survey to assess factors influencing the decision to decline assistance for identified Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs). The survey includes questions related to transportation access, food insecurity, housing instability, and utility needs. Survey completion takes approximately 10 minutes.
Other: Interview
Interviews will be semi-structured and will be offered to 20 participants who have completed the survey and meet eligibility criteria. Interviews will be conducted via a Zoom. Zoom will create a transcription of the interview which will be saved in a secure encrypted space, no video will be saved.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Factors influencing cancer patients' intent to use oncology supportive care for HRSNs
Time Frame: approximately 4 months
Measured via Surveys (self-reported) using a structured questionnaires with binary (Yes/No) responses and Likert Style questions (Quality of Life and FACT-ES).
approximately 4 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Factors associated with declining HSRN-related supportive care services
Time Frame: approximately 4 months
Interviews will be semi-structured and will be offered to 20 participants who have completed the survey and meet eligibility criteria.
approximately 4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Thomas Jefferson University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Munjireen Sifat, PhD, MPH, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University

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)

December 11, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • iRISID-2025-1005
  • JT 46229 (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

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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