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Oceanic Palliative Care Conference 2023
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Integrating routine cancer care with the Care Plus palliative care pathway

Oral Presentation Concurrent Sessions
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Oral Presentation - Concurrent Sessions

11:00 am

14 September 2023

Exhibition Hall Theatre - Level 2

Stream 3B | Concurrent Session | Building stronger health systems

Presentation Streams

Health system reform

Driving stronger health care systems

Models of care – implications for the future

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Presentation Description

Institution: The University of Melbourne & St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne - Victoria, Australia

Background 
Significant international research demonstrates the benefits of timely access to palliative care (PC) for patients with advanced cancer, including improved symptom management and quality of life. Care Plus is an integrated practice change, across four metropolitan tertiary public hospitals for specified advanced cancers, whereby all patients reaching the nominated trigger point (i.e. at diagnosis or relapse) is automatically offered an ‘extra layer of care’ with specialist PC services, alongside their usual oncology care. 
 
Aim 
To describe how Care Plus, a new PC referral pathway, was established within existing systems of a tertiary public hospital alongside the usual oncology service and the practice change challenges experienced by a PC nurse consultant. 
 
Methods 
PC clinicians, oncologists, patients and their carers, were invited to participate in individual, semi-structured interviews via Zoom or telephone, during the implementation phases of practice and post-practice change. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed by making codes with emerging themes via NVivo. Inter-researcher discussions and member-checking maintained rigour and validity. 
 
Results 
From June 2021 to June 2022, 18 patients received Care Plus at this specific site. A total of 11 interviews were completed, including four with patients and seven with clinicians. Integrated PC within usual oncology care fostered collaborative confidence and flexibility to address the complex care needs of advanced cancer patients, their families, and carers, and was well received by all participants. Prior to Care Plus, no on-site palliative inpatient or outpatient clinics were available to introduce the activities and benefits of early PC to patients and their carers. Care Plus has demonstrated a collaborative, feasible, flexible, scalable integrated PC pathway, fostering effective partnerships and confidence with the oncology service teams. 
 
Conclusion 
The Care Plus referral pathway provides access to timely & optimal PC to advanced cancer patients, their families and carers. 

Presenters

Catherine Jeffs

Nurse Consultant
Northern Adelaide Palliative Service - Adelaide, Australia

Authors

Authors

Professor Jennifer Philip - The University of Melbourne & St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne , Ms Catherine Jeffs - Lyell McEwin Hospital , Mrs Kylee Bellingham - The University of Melbourne & St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne , Ms Joyce Chua - The University of Melbourne & St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne , Associate Prof Vijaya Sundararajan - The University of Melbourne & St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne , Ms Lorna Gurren - Dublin City University , Doctor Angelina Yong - Lyell McEwin Hospital , Doctor Christopher Hocking - Lyell McEwin Hospital , Professor Gregory Crawford - The University of Adelaide , Professor Brian Le - The University of Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & The Royal Melbourne Hospital , Associate Professor Sue-Anne McLachlan - The University of Melbourne & St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne , Doctor Anna Collins - The University of Melbourne & St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne , Doctor Farwa Rizvi - The University of Melbourne & St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

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