191 Background: Patients with early stage breast cancer commonly receive anthracycline and anti-Her2 directed therapies which can result in cardiotoxicity, making cardiac monitoring crucial. In 2018, our rate of obtaining a follow up echocardiogram in this patient population was 38%. Subsequently, use of myocardial strain imaging in conjunction with echocardiography became available at our institution, allowing for potential earlier detection of cardiac dysfunction. We aimed to increase utilization of strain imaging and rate of follow up echocardiogram monitoring to at least 50% in hopes of enhancing prevention efforts. Methods: We developed a standardized protocol for cardiac monitoring in patients receiving cardiotoxic chemotherapy. We provided education to staff and workflow modification to include standard orders for strain echocardiogram in all relevant chemotherapy plans. Chart review for Stage 1-3 breast cancer patients who received anthracycline or trastuzumab based therapy at our ambulatory cancer center from January 2019 to December 2021 was performed. Completion of follow up echocardiogram and rate of strain imaging before and after July 2020 was assessed, as this is when strain imaging became widely available. Results: Rates of obtaining baseline echocardiogram were excellent. Rates of strain echocardiogram use improved from 26.3% to 97.9% following July 2020. Follow up echocardiograms were obtained regularly in those receiving trastuzumab based therapy before and after July 2020 at rates of 91.8% and 87.5%. Rates of follow up echocardiograms in those receiving anthracycline-based therapy also improved to our goal of greater than 50%, but was lower than the trastuzumab group at 57%. However, assessment of follow up cardiac imaging in the 2021 treatment group is still ongoing. Conclusions: We successfully implemented a program to standardize cardiac monitoring in patients undergoing cardiotoxic chemotherapy for breast cancer at our institution. We anticipate this will enhance detection of cardiotoxicity and utilization of consultative cardio-oncology services. Additional efforts to improve follow up cardiac imaging through collaboration with our survivorship program are ongoing.[Table: see text]
251 Background: A significant number of cancer-directed therapies are associated with cardiotoxicity. This adverse effect is well-established in anthracyclines and anti-HER2 agents. At our ambulatory oncology practice, the recent availability of echocardiograms with strain imaging has prompted an evaluation of current practices for cardiotoxicity monitoring. A review of the electronic health record (EHR) in 2019 found that although our institution maintains high rates of baseline monitoring, follow-up monitoring is not standardized and not consistent between different practices. Methods: A multidisciplinary team was formed to conduct a quality improvement project with the aim of increasing the rate of follow-up monitoring in patients who receive anthracyclines or infusional anti-HER2 agents. A survey of providers identified the potential reasons that follow-up cardiac monitoring was not completed. A Pareto chart showed that lack of familiarity with clinical necessity and appropriate timing were the most common barriers to follow-up monitoring. Our first plan-do-study-act focused on addressing these barriers, and a pilot in breast cancer treatment plans was started. Cardiac monitoring orders were added to curative intent protocols containing doxorubicin, trastuzumab, or pertuzumab. Education was provided to physician and nursing teams regarding utility and timing of cardiotoxicity monitoring. Collaboration with the cardiology group ensured timely access and result turnaround time. Results: An initial review of the EHR was conducted to identify current trends in cardiac monitoring. The review showed that there was an increase in the use of echocardiograms with strain imaging for baseline and follow-up monitoring in our patients. From January to April 2020, there was a total of 102 echocardiogram orders which was a 23% increase compared to the same timeframe in the previous year. The majority (61%) of those echocardiogram orders included strain imaging compared to 8% in the previous year. Review of treatment plan utilization and appropriate timing of cardiac monitoring in breast cancer patients is ongoing. Conclusions: This quality improvement project suggests that efforts to standardize cardiac monitoring practices can be achieved through provider education and workflow modifications. Further long-term review of the EHR will be needed to determine whether the timing of follow-up monitoring is appropriate and to identify what changes to the intervention should be made.