Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42309966›Full record

ArticleHead & neck2026

A Discharge Summary Prompt Reduces Postoperative Radiotherapy Delay in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Andreja Radevic, Niketna Vivek, Joaquin Austerlitz, Sindhura Sridhar, Whitney Jin, Robert Sinard, Sarah L Rohde, Kyle Mannion, Alexander J Langerman, Eben Rosenthal and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Head & neck, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Andreja RadevicDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Niketna VivekDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Joaquin AusterlitzDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5554-7933
Sindhura SridharTexas A&M University College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Whitney JinBaylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Robert SinardDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Sarah L RohdeDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Kyle MannionDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Alexander J LangermanDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Eben RosenthalDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Michael C TopfDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1022-4417

Funding

Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development ProgramK12CA090625 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Debra L. Friedman, Paula Jill Hurley · 2001 to 2026
$16.9M
Augmented Reality to Guide Head and Neck Cancer SurgeryK08CA293255 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Michael Topf · 2024 to 2026
$645k
NCI NIH HHS 5K08CA293255-02NCI NIH HHS K08 CA293255NCI NIH HHS K12 CA090625
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDelays in postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) beyond 6 weeks are associated with worse outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC). This study evaluated whether a discharge summary prompt could reduce PORT delay.

methodsA retrospective review of patients from 2018 to 2023 was used as a pre-intervention baseline. An EHR-based discharge summary intervention was implemented in May 2023. Delayed PORT was defined as initiation > 42 days from surgery. Time to PORT was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier and log-rank testing. Logistic regression identified predictors of delay; Cox modeling evaluated factors associated with time to PORT initiation.

resultsAmong 391 patients (260 pre-intervention, 131 post-intervention), PORT delay decreased from 74.2% to 46.6% after implementation (p < 0.001). The discharge summary prompt was independently associated with lower odds of delay (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.14-0.56; p < 0.001) and faster PORT initiation (HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.43-2.93; p < 0.001).

conclusionsA simple discharge summary prompt may reduce PORT delay in HNC.

Indexed as

adjuvant radiationcare coordinationhead and neck cancerquality improvementtreatment delay

Identifiers

PMID42309966
PMCPMC13472147

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.