Background The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) launched the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) program in 2010 to promote quality cancer care. The association has subsequently influenced the use of neurokinin 1 (NK-1) receptor antagonists through articles published in peer-reviewed publications and its Choosing Wisely campaign.
Objective To explore the rationale behind the use of NK-1 receptor antagonists in clinical practice.
Methods We distributed an anonymous 12-question online survey to 650 medical oncologists in 5 states, inquiring about their use of these agents. A total of 155 responses were analyzed.
Results QOPI-certified physicians were significantly more likely than noncertified physicians to use NK-1 receptor antagonists with moderately emetogenic regimens, including weekly cisplatin for head and neck cancer (82.6% vs 27.0%, respectively; P < .001), cervical and bladder cancer (81.4% vs 32.7%, P < .001), and with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, oncovin, prednisone) with or without rituximab in lymphoma (81.4 vs 17.3%, P < .001). The majority of QOPI-certified physicians reported using these agents for the sole purpose of maintaining QOPI certification (80.0%-86.0%). Certified physicians were also significantly more likely to appropriately prescribe NK-1 antagonists with highly emetogenic chemotherapy.
Limitations Responder bias; short survey that precludes detailed analysis; small sample size may limit generalizability to the field of medical oncology.
Conclusion Our data demonstrate that providers in QOPI-certified practices are significantly more likely than those in noncertified practices to prescribe NK-1 receptor antagonists. Certified physicians report that satisfying ASCO-QOPI requirements is their primary motivation for offering these agents.
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