# Improving Hospice Use for Patients with Blood Cancers

> **NIH NIH K08** · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · 2020 · $170,837

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Although hospice care is nationally endorsed as an indicator of high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care, only
a minority of patients who die from blood cancers in the United States enroll. Indeed, it has been repeatedly
shown that patients with hematologic cancers have the lowest rate of hospice use compared to other
malignancies, and when they do enroll, it is often exceedingly close to death. Yet, little is known about factors
that influence hospice use. Dr. Odejide's research objective is to rigorously characterize factors that influence
EOL care for patients with blood cancers, with the goal of developing effective interventions for improvement.
 In a national survey of 349 US-based hematologic oncologists that Dr. Odejide conducted, although the
vast majority agreed that hospice was helpful, almost 50% felt that the traditional model of hospice may not be
adequate for the needs of patients with blood cancers (e.g. transfusions).Through this proposal, Dr. Odejide
will combine what she has learned from hematologic oncologists with new data from patients with blood
cancers and hospice providers to develop a blood cancer-specific hospice delivery program to promote timely
hospice use. In Aim 1, through a series of focus groups with patients with hematologic cancers, Dr. Odejide will
develop a conjoint survey to characterize their EOL needs and perceptions of hospice. She will then administer
this conjoint survey to a large sample of patients with hematologic cancers at two cancer centers. This will
ensure that the perspectives of blood cancer patients themselves are incorporated into intervention
development. In Aim 2, she will conduct a national survey of hospice providers to identify the challenges faced
caring for patients with blood cancers, and potential interventions for improvement. Finally, in Aim 3,
incorporating data from her prior work with hematologic oncologists and Aims 1 and 2, she will create several
candidate modified hospice delivery models. She will then engage expert stakeholders (hematologic
oncologists and hospice administrators) with a modified Delphi approach to identify the most acceptable model
with greatest likelihood of improving hospice use, which will be piloted with a hospice agency.
 This research will facilitate training in areas vital to Dr. Odejide's career goals: advanced qualitative
methods, decision science, and intervention development, in which she has planned rigorous coursework. Dr.
Odejide has two highly-qualified and committed mentors: Dr. Gregory Abel, one of the few expert hematology-
focused health services researchers in the country, and Dr. James Tulsky, a leader in EOL care research and
intervention development. In total, the proposed research and career development plan will deepen Dr.
Odejide's research expertise and enable her to transition to an independent health services researcher
devoted to improving quality of EOL care for patients with blood cancers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9977977
- **Project number:** 5K08CA218295-04
- **Recipient organization:** DANA-FARBER CANCER INST
- **Principal Investigator:** Oreofe Olukemi Odejide
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $170,837
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9977977

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9977977, Improving Hospice Use for Patients with Blood Cancers (5K08CA218295-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9977977. Licensed CC0.

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