Outpatient Oncology Records Lack Goals-of-Care Documentation for Most Older Adults

Effective management of complex chronic conditions requires rigorous documentation and clear communication across the multidisciplinary care team. In oncology, coordination between primary care providers and specialists is often hindered by fragmented information sharing and uncertainty regarding specific roles in the care continuum [1]. For older adults, this complexity is compounded by age-related vulnerabilities such as sarcopenia (the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength), which can significantly impact treatment tolerance and prognosis [2]. While clinical guidelines emphasize the importance of exercising clinical judgment to align medical strategies with a patient's specific health condition and personal values, the systematic implementation of these discussions remains a challenge [3, 4]. Ensuring that patient preferences are transparently reported is essential for maintaining the clarity and reliability of the care plan [5]. To address this gap, a retrospective study recently examined how consistently these critical goals-of-care conversations are captured in the outpatient setting for older adults with advanced malignancies.