An interventional study of CareOrbit and Standard perioperative education in Head and Neck Cancer (H&N) and Cancer of the Head and Neck, sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-30.
Sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
CareOrbit is a digital perioperative patient-education and care navigation platform developed by the St. Louis-based venture Total Orbit in collaboration with Washington University's CORTEX Business Incubator. For head and neck cancer (HNC) care, the platform is designed to address gaps in perioperative education by guiding patients through each stage of their surgical journey using structured modules, step-by-step instructional videos, and centralized educational resources. CareOrbit delivers physician-authored content tailored to an individual's surgical care, including overviews of surgical treatment, preoperative preparation, and expectations for postoperative recovery. Early anecdotal experiences suggest that patients appreciate the accessibility of the tool, but systematic evaluation is lacking in whether use of the tool improves understanding, satisfaction, and care outcomes. This project will address key knowledge gaps by employing a clinical trial to examine key clinical endpoints.
Exclusion Criteria:
The control group will receive standard perioperative education without access to CareOrbit.
Other: Standard perioperative education
The intervention group will receive standard perioperative education supplemented by access to the CareOrbit digital platform.
Other: CareOrbit · Other: Standard perioperative education
CareOrbit is a digital perioperative patient-education and care navigation platform .
Standard of care perioperative education materials
Change in ORTC QLQ-INFO25 Satisfaction Score
The EORTC QLQ-INFO25 is a 25-item patient-reported questionnaire that assesses the amount and type of information cancer patients receive about their disease, treatment, side effects, support services, and related care. Items are rated on a 4-point scale from 1 = not at all to 4 = very much, with selected yes/no items. The total score is typically reported as 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate that more information was received and, for relevant items, greater satisfaction or perceived helpfulness of the information.
Time frame: Baseline, 30 days postoperative clinic visit, and at a 3-6 months postoperative clinic visit
Number of hospital readmissions
Time frame: At 30 days and 6 months following discharge
Number of operating room takebacks
Time frame: At 30 days and 6 months following discharge
Number of emergency department visits
Time frame: At 30 days and 6 months following discharge
Number of staff communications (calls/messages)
Time frame: At 30 days and 6 months following discharge
Number of unscheduled clinic visits
Time frame: At 30 days and 6 months following discharge
Number of missed appointments
Time frame: At 30 days and 6 months following discharge
Plan to share: No
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Washington University School of Medicine