Poster Presentation Cancer Survivorship 2017

Promoting the role of primary care in cancer survivorship (#72)

Amanda Piper 1 , Judy Evans 2 , Liz Simkiss 3 , Linda Nolte 4 , Georgina Wiley 1 , Kathryn Whitfield 3 , Michael Jefford 1 5 6
  1. Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, A Richard Pratt legacy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria
  2. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Cancer Strategy and Development, Department of Health and Human Services, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  4. Advanced Care Planning Department, Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
  5. Department of Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria
  6. Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria

Aims:  There is growing recognition of the importance of primary care in cancer survivorship care (CSC). From the 2015 General Practice Clinical Placement Pilot Program, (1) general practitioners (GPs) noted limited opportunity to describe their role in CSC, and (2) most learning was from hospital specialists to generalists, rather than bidirectional. To support an expanded GP placement program in survivorship, videos were developed to illustrate the role of GPs in CSC. The goal was to improve understanding of the role of primary care in CSC, with a particular emphasis on shared care.

 

Methods:  Video content included messages from specialists, survivors and GPs describing key components of primary care in CSC. Messages were evidence-based and developed with reference to published literature, Australian practice and qualitative interviews. The final videos were evaluated for self-rated knowledge and confidence changes, and relevance, through an online survey.

 

Results:   Interviews with cancer survivors (n=4) and medical and nursing professionals from hospital (n=4) and primary care services (n=6) revealed key themes for the videos: (i) shared care provides holistic and coordinated care; (ii) shared care requires quality information sharing and clear roles and responsibilities; (iii) patients accept and value shared care. A suite of videos were developed for 3 audiences: survivors, hospital specialists and primary care. Preliminary evaluation (16 responses: 10 primary care professionals, 3 hospital health professionals, 2 survivors, 1 unknown) showed the majority: agreed/strongly agreed they ‘had a better understanding of shared care’ (n=12/16, 75%); agreed/strongly agreed the video ‘increased their confidence in the role of GPs in cancer care’ (n=12/16, 75%); agreed/strongly agreed ‘the video was relevant to them’ (n=12/14, 86%).

 

Conclusions:   The videos appear to enhance viewers’ knowledge and confidence regarding the role of GPs in CSC. They should be included with other strategies to promote the role of primary care in CSC.