Trial results for an EHR-based cardiovascular health assessment tool (AH-HA) for cancer survivors, including those with Breast Cancer, were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-04-15. The study found that the intervention significantly increased the proportion of patients reporting discussions about cardiovascular health topics, with 96.2% in the intervention group compared to 52.2% in the usual care group.
Background
Cancer survivors often face an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease due to cancer treatments and shared risk factors. Addressing cardiovascular health (CVH) is a critical component of comprehensive survivorship care. Integrating tools within electronic health records (EHRs) can facilitate discussions and interventions for managing these risks, potentially improving long-term health outcomes for survivors of various cancers, including breast, prostate, colorectal, endometrial, and Hodgkin disease.
Trial design
This completed hybrid effectiveness-implementation study enrolled 645 participants. The study examined the effects of an EHR-based cardiovascular health assessment tool (AH-HA) among cancer survivors receiving survivorship care. Participants included those with Breast Neoplasm, Prostatic Neoplasm, Colorectal Neoplasms, Endometrial Neoplasms, and Hodgkin Disease. The trial utilized a group-randomized design, comparing practices using the AH-HA tool (intervention) against those providing usual care.
Key results
The study reported several key measurements and analyses:
- The proportion of patients reporting discussion of at least one non-ideal or missing CVH topic was 96.2% in the Intervention - AH-HA Tool group, compared to 52.2% in the Usual Care group. A logistic regression analysis showed a p-value of 0.0001 for this outcome.
- Referrals to primary care to manage CV risk were 28.7% in the Intervention - AH-HA Tool group and 24.8% in the Usual Care group. The logistic regression analysis yielded a p-value of 0.6946.
- Referrals to cardiology to manage CV risk were 2.9% in both the Intervention - AH-HA Tool group and the Usual Care group. The logistic regression analysis for this outcome had a p-value of 0.9921.
- For ordering of CVH-relevant labs and treatments to manage CV risk:
- Cholesterol tests were ordered for 25 participants in the Intervention - AH-HA Tool group versus 0 participants in the Usual Care group (Fisher Exact p-value: 0.0001).
- Glucose tests were ordered for 19 participants in the Intervention - AH-HA Tool group versus 49 participants in the Usual Care group (Fisher Exact p-value: 0.0016).
- A1c tests were ordered for 22 participants in the Intervention - AH-HA Tool group versus 1 participant in the Usual Care group (Fisher Exact p-value: 0.0001).
What this means
The results indicate that the EHR-based AH-HA tool is effective in significantly increasing discussions about cardiovascular health topics between cancer survivors and their oncology providers. This suggests that such a tool can improve communication around critical health risks. While the tool led to a notable increase in cholesterol and A1c test orders, it did not significantly impact referrals to primary care or cardiology for CV risk management. The observed decrease in glucose test orders in the intervention group compared to usual care warrants further investigation.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT03935282, titled "Assessing Effectiveness and Implementation of an EHR Tool to Assess Heart Health Among Survivors," were posted on 2026-04-15 on clinicaltrials.gov.