Closing the divide: assessing and navigating the unmet supportive care needs of Indigenous cancer patients
Overview
Australian Indigenous people experience more aggressive cancers and a higher cancer mortality rate than their non-Indigenous counterparts. This poor prognosis and the unique barriers Indigenous patients face to access quality cancer treatment and care is likely to mean that Indigenous cancer patients are faced with specific and high levels of unmet supportive care needs.
This is the first comprehensive study of the supportive care needs of Indigenous cancer patients and explores the role of an 'Indigenous patient navigator' in meeting these needs. The main aims of the study are:
- to investigate the supportive care needs of adult Indigenous cancer patients in the course of their cancer journey (i.e. newly diagnosed and post-relapse)
- to examine how Indigenous cancer patients' supportive care needs may change over time
- to test the effectiveness of an intervention combining patient navigation, cancer education, and communication coaching to improve Indigenous cancer patients' experiences through their cancer journey and their cancer outcomes.
Menzies School of Health Research abstract
Contacts
Menzies School of Health Research
National Indigenous Cancer Network
Email: NICaN@menzies.edu.au
Related publications
Whop LJ, Valery PC, Beesley VL, Moore SP, Lokuge K, Jacka C, Garvey G (2012)
Navigating the cancer journey: A review of patient navigator programs for Indigenous cancer patients.
Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology; 8(4): e89–e96
Garvey G, Beesley VL, Janda M, Jacka C, Green AC, O'Rourke P, Valery PC (2012)
The development of a supportive care needs assessment tool for Indigenous people with cancer.
BMC Cancer; 12: 300
Retrieved 20 July 2012 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-12-300
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