Aims
Funded by the Victorian Department of Health, this study aimed to (1) understand current survivorship care (SC) in Victoria, and (2) increase awareness, and promote uptake of improved SC.
Methods
A baseline site survey was sent to 16 Victorian public hospitals. Surveys assessed current practice and challenges delivering SC, including availability of a policy for SC, presence of a SC program, screening for unmet needs and use of SC plans (SCP).
A 60-minute educational webinar was delivered to each hospital, in collaboration with Cancer Council Victoria. The webinar discussed the need for, and evidence to support, different models of care, SCPs and SC services and resources.
Results
14 baseline site surveys were submitted covering all 16 hospitals. Hospitals self-rated their SC as initial (n=4), developing (n=9) or well established (n=1). 10/14 (71%) hospitals reported not having a policy for SC. SCP use was low with 8/14 (57%) hospitals reporting 0-25% of patients receive them. Commonly reported barriers to SCP use included inadequate staffing and electronic medical record compatibility. Generally, hospitals reported limited resources, either on- or off-site, to support 17 common survivorship issues. 10/14 hospitals (71%) reported collecting data on three or more survivorship outcomes.
13 educational webinars were delivered to 15 hospitals, 390 attendees. 97 evaluation forms were completed. Attendees were mostly nurses (46%) and allied health professionals (22%). 97% rated the webinar good, very good or excellent. 95% reported an increase in their knowledge and awareness of SC and 77% said they are likely to use information from the webinar when caring for cancer survivors.
Conclusions
This study provides baseline SC data in Victoria. Webinars captured a broad workforce, were engaging, and improved self-reported knowledge and awareness of SC, resources and services. Baseline data can inform design of SC programs. Ideally, data collection might extend nationally.