Transition of Care: GP and Community Supports after Cancer Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults

• Published in: International journal of integrated care Vol. 18; no. s1; p. 83
• Main Authors: Baggio, Sarah, Rolfe, Melanie, Usher, Helen-Louise, Greenslade, Rebecca, Bradford, Natalie, Walker, Rick, Henney, Roslyn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paterna Ubiquity Press 12.03.2018
• Subjects: Cancer therapies; Health services; Internet; Medical research; Teenagers; Young adults; Queensland Australia; Australia; Western Australia Australia
• ISSN: 1568-4156; 1568-4156
• DOI: 10.5334/ijic.s1083

This presentation describes the stakeholder engagement process of the Transition of Care: GP and Community Supports after Cancer Treatment project being undertaken by Queensland Youth Cancer Service.Each year ~1,000 Australians aged 15-25 years are diagnosed with cancer, and around 115 will die from the illness.1 Young people with cancer experience complex needs during a significant developmental and transitional period. Survivorship may mean lifelong cognitive, physical, mental health & psychosocial burden, impacting education, employment, & reliance on welfare. 2 Palliative care needs in this cohort encompass psychosocial and medical concerns unique to the developmental stage, and care of the young person’s support network. 3 Queensland’s dispersed population presents challenges in providing equitable rural services, with patients living over 2000km from the capital. 4The transition pathway from acute to primary & community care varies across the state, leaving room for young people to fall through the cracks; Many feel abandoned once they leave the familiarity of the hospital setting. 2, 3 The Transition of Care: GP and Community Supports after Cancer Treatment project seeks to understand the needs of adolescents and young adults, their health providers and community networks, and empower them with strategies, tools and pathways to support a shift of focus from illness to holistic wellness, post-treatment.The project engages consumers (eg young people with cancer, bereaved and non-bereaved carers), general practitioners, multidisciplinary oncology teams, and non-government organisations in service development, utilising evidence-based qualitative methodologies. 5-8 The learnings from working with diverse stakeholders are applicable across services & settings, and highlight the importance of understanding a care pathway from all directions, tailoring processes with local expertise, and integrating care beyond traditional medical models. Preliminary directions will be shared alongside strategies and learnings from the process of embedding stakeholders in the development of services.References:1- AIHW, Cancer in adolescents and young adults in Australia, A.I.o.H.a. Welfare, Editor. 2011, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Canberra, Australia.2- Nathan, PC, HAyes-Lattin B, Sisler JJ & Hudson, MM. Critical issues in transition & survivorship in adolescents and young adults with cancers. [Internet]. 2017 August [cited 2017 August 15]; 117(S10): 2335-2341. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.26042/pdf3- Statewide Health Service Strategy and Planning Unit, Health Commissioning Queensland Department of Health in collaboration with the Statewide Cancer Clinical Network. Cancer Clinical NetworkCancer Care Statewide Health Service Strategy. State of Queensland: Queensland Health; 2014. 40 p. Available from: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/621586/cancer-care-strategy.pdf4- Queensland Government. Queensland Statistics and Facts. Available from: https://www.qld.gov.au/about/about-queensland/statistics-facts/facts/5. Frampton SB, & Guastello, S. Putting patients first: Patient-Centered Care: More than the Sum of Its Parts: Planetree's Patient-Centered Hospital Designation Program. Amer Jnl Nurs [Internet]. 2010; 110(9): 49-53. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/278674786- Consumer & community health research network. Involving people in research [Internet]. Western Australia 2017; cited 2017 Aug 15]. Available from: http://www.involvingpeopleinresearch.org.au/7- Consumer & community health research network. Involving people in research [Internet]. Western Australia 2017; cited 2017 Aug 15]. Available from: http://www.involvingpeopleinresearch.org.au/find-out-more/our-resources/fact-sheet-booklet/the-fact-sheet-series8- Delbecq A, & Van De Ven AH. A group process model for problem identification and program planning.[Internet] Jnl App Behav Sci 1971 [cited 2017 Aug 15]; 7(4): 466-491. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andre_Delbecq/publication/250958833_A_Group_Process_Model_For_Problem_Identification_and_Program_Planning/links/53f66ffd0cf22be01c433634.pdfDOI:10.1177/002188637100700404