Background
Models of survivorship care are now
considered essential to promote ongoing health and wellbeing for cancer patients,
reduce the burden of late effects, meet changing psychosocial patient need and
ensure the efficient division of resources. While this applies to all patients,
adolescents and young adults (AYA) who experience a diagnosis of cancer face
unique impacts as they negotiate a life-stage characterised by rapid
development and face the lifelong medical and psychosocial effects of cancer
and its treatment. In alignment, the NHS in the UK has recently defined elements
required for developmentally appropriate AYA survivorship care. These include:
care coordination and planning; collaborative healthcare partnerships; supporting
primary care; risk stratification; a focus on transition and developing an
appropriately skilled workforce1. Recognition of the importance of survivorship
care for young people led to the development of the Victorian Department of
Health funded Survivorship Connections project in 2010.
Aim
The aim of this project was to implement and
evaluate the efficacy and sustainability of a phase 1 model of survivorship
care for young people with cancer in Victoria, treated in both metropolitan and
rural centres.
Method
The project involves: nurse-led intervention;
care-coordination; acute/primary partnerships; screening; care-planning and
patient review. A total of 100 patients will be recruited over 12 month period
from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Bendigo
Health with 15 patients already enrolled. Evaluation is being undertaken with
formative and summative data focussing on patient reported outcome measures,
the experience of healthcare professionals in both acute and primary sectors and
health economic sustainability.
Discussion
This paper will describe the Survivorship
Connections protocol. The rationale behind this work will be delineated, anticipated
outcomes described and progress to date will be discussed with specific
exploration of the unique, emerging post treatment survivorship issues for
young people.
With Acknowledgement to Dr L. Sanci2 & Dr K. Drummond3
2 The University of Melbourne
3 The Royal Melbourne Hospital