Exploring associations between social determinants of health and patient-reported outcome measures in oncology: Elucidating the disparities to be addressed

Social determinants of health, including income, education, and language, play an important role in cancer outcomes and survival. In Quebec, where nearly one in five residents speaks a first language other than French, language can be a particularly important barrier to accessing healthcare services and communicating effectively with care teams. These barriers may influence patients’ ability to advocate for themselves, ask questions, and engage in shared decision-making—factors that are linked to improved health outcomes.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized tools that allow patients to report symptoms and health status directly, and are increasingly used to improve communication, symptom monitoring, and clinical care. However, their effectiveness may vary depending on social factors such as education and language. This PhD project begins by examining how PROM data differ across key social determinants of health. Future phases will explore patients’ lived experiences completing PROMs and assess whether generative AI tools can help reduce barriers—particularly language-related barriers—to improve equitable use of PROMs in cancer care.

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