Category Archives: Cancer Research

Internal Research Fund – Psychoeducational Support

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Title

Enhancing patient engagement in the care of adult cancer survivors and caregivers through a psychoeducational supportive care in the interior region of British Columbia.

Background

Cancer wields an enormous health burden on Canadian society. As such, to ensure quality and continuity, it is time to co–develop psychoeducational supportive care for increasing patient engagement in care for cancer survivors and their caregivers. This research proposes to fill such a gap and to advance our knowledge how to improve patient health outcomes. As such this project will employ a community participatory action research methodology with partners, collaborators and stakeholders including cancer survivors and caregivers. Community stakeholder engagement workshops with knowledge-users will be ongoing to strengthen our community relationships and partnerships to other regions of British Columbia (BC).

Goals and Objectives

The goal of the proposed research is to co-develop a psychoeducational supportive care with equity-deserving groups, as key stakeholders, for ensuring a novel patient and caregiver engagement in care and in the development and validation processes of a psychoeducational supportive care.

To obtain this goal our Research Objectives include:

Creating a series of integrated knowledge translation tools with knowledge holders and users to employ towards a pilot psychoeducational supportive care.
Developing a pilot psychoeducational supportive care that will integrate patients’ experiences with existing cancer care, with a clear intention to contextualize the experiences of equity deserving groups.
Engage and share with study results with key stakeholders to create a robust cancer care network dedicated to improvement of cancer services.

This study will explore patient care in design and operation of cancer navigation of cancer networks. This study will discuss patients’ barriers to, and facilitators of, accessing cancer care services and proposing a quantitative modeling framework. The impact of the existing supportive cancer care services through patient engagement in care of heterogenous patient populations will be reviewed. The research development will show how pilot psychoeducational supportive care can improve collaborative practice, holistic understanding, and patient satisfaction, which may be used by healthcare professionals, providers, leaders and administrators when determining how to bridge the gap in health care inequities and how to improve cancer care through a novel approach to psychoeducational supportive care and as a result may provide positive patient-reported outcomes. A key outcome of the knowledge sharing summits will be to co-create a plan to operationalize the development of a novel approach to psychoeducational supportive care strategies and the formation of a community advisory group to continue the work of accountability for the development of the psychoeducational supportive care for equity-deserving groups in rural and remote areas in BC. The study will demonstrate the application of proposed cancer navigation framework and develop policy insights towards equity oriented care.

SSHR Xchange Grant: Knowledge Mobilization

support — Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Community Engagement and Knowledge Translation Summit on Emotional Wellness and Navigation Services for Cancer Survivors and Caregivers

March 2021 – April 2022

Objectives and Outcomes

The research objectives included:

We are exploring evidence-informed continuity of care through the findings of experiences and challenges of cancer survivors for a better quality of life.
We organize a community engagement and knowledge translation summit on emotional wellness and navigation services for cancer survivors and caregivers.

The research outcomes included:

We are developing recommendations and policies on improving psychosocial and emotional wellness and navigation services for a better quality of life.
It understands the strengths and gaps of emotional wellness and navigation services among cancer survivors and caregivers.

Summary

The Community Engagement and Knowledge Translation Summit (CEKTS) disseminated the research findings related to emotional wellness and navigation services relevant to community stakeholders. The CEKTS synthesized the findings, evidence and recommendations of contextually informed continuity of care strategies and practices that supported knowledge translation. This activity helped promote research, training, and advice on emotional wellness and navigation services and strengthen the community stakeholder collaboration within the SSHR mandate. Addressing emotional wellness and navigation services for survivors and caregivers within an increased workforce diversity may increase equity, inclusiveness, satisfaction, and better quality of life. The CEKTS mobilized knowledge into practice through knowledge makers, community engagement and community partnership for cancer survivors and caregivers. Community awareness, education, and communication play a prominent role in seeking emotional wellness and navigation services for cancer survivors and caregivers. This research has influenced the continuity of care model for developing social, economic, and developmental policies towards promoting a better quality of life. We conducted a community engagement and knowledge summit through a series of partnership and collaborative summits. The CEKTS was designed to have a community stakeholder collaboration with survivors, caregivers, social workers, health care professionals, clinical partners and researchers with a primary care, collaborative and shared governance approach, lived experiences, and new knowledge related to emotional wellness and navigation services in local communities. Community stakeholders were engaged in the findings, initiatives and processes towards developing contextually informed and relevant strategies for improving the quality of life of cancer survivors and caregivers. The results of this CEKTS helped to inform emotional wellness and navigation services in the context of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness in Kamloops and the interior region of British Columbia.

Internal Research Fund – Knowledge Synthesis

women sitting on the beach enjoying sunset — Photo by Briana Tozour on Unsplash

A Systematic Review on Breast Cancer Survivorship and Support for Immigrant Women with Breast Cancer.

January 2020 – December 2021

Purpose and Goal

The purpose of this research was to develop better understanding of the current scientific literature on the meaningfulness and effectiveness of breast cancer survivorship and support for women with breast cancer and to share current evidence-informed knowledge. This study aims to understand in-depth the contextual factors that shape survivorship and social support from the perspective of systematic reviews. Framed by evidence synthesis principles and systematic reviews, this study draws perspectives of survivorship and support in the literature studies to develop recommendations for continuity of care.

We have pursued the following research objectives:

To provide contextual research literature information about breast cancer survivors.
To advance our understanding of the relationship between equity-seeking groups, the acculturation process, and the client’s attitudes and beliefs on what supports their healthy- being from knowledge synthesis.
To identify the literature on social, economic, and cultural barriers and facilitators in breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship from knowledge synthesis.
To identify and develop future culturally acceptable, appropriate survivorship and support interventions and services perceived as safe and accessible for cancer survivors and their families with knowledge mobilization.

Summary

The research activities have aligned with British Columbia’s health system priority services for patients with complex medical conditions to focus on research designed to improve health outcomes. This research aligns with BC Cancer to enhance access to effective primary and community care to enable research on practice, surveillance, and service delivery innovations and initiatives designed to improve accessibility and quality of primary and community care. The research activities focused on synthesizing a systematic review of breast cancer survivorship and support for women with breast cancer, leading to an expert consultation and stakeholder engagement. Outcomes were conceptualizing a systematic current literature review of breast cancer survivorship and support care, identifying areas of challenges in breast cancer survivorship related to evidence-informed knowledge and practice. The outcome was to initiate a support system through informed decision-making, synthesizing knowledge and practices on breast cancer survivorship. Collaborative, supportive care contributes to future research for person-centred care, afford research capacity building, academic, clinical and community partnerships, and valuable student training.

Health Research Cluster Grant – Clinical Research

The Financial Burden and Outcomes of Existing Oncological Care in Kamloops B.C. and Alternative Prophylactic Patient Engagement and Care Examination. A Breast Cancer Case Study.

March 2020 – October 2021

Objective

The specific objectives of this study are as follows: To develop a model for a prophylactic patient engagement and care system using a literature review of relevant models and integrated with priorities via an environmental scan. To provide a cost analysis of the proposed model vis-à-vis the status quo, such as treating most post-therapy cases acutely in hospital, emergency room visits, admissions and associated treatments. We explore the perceptions, knowledge, practices, and experiences among women diagnosed and treated with breast cancer in the community.

Summary

This project is community-oriented and participatory action research using a patient engagement in care model. An embedded case study using a mixed-methods design was used to assess relevant patient-oriented and patient-reported outcomes as a piece of essential information. The phases of the COPR were Phase 1: Conducting an environmental scan, a literature review, and collaborating with community stakeholder partners towards exploring women’s needs. Phase 2: Consultation with service providers, knowledge users, stakeholders and decision-makers to understand and analyze the situation and develop the Breast cancer care program based on practical and feasible strategies. Planning the community stakeholders participatory design, mentoring student research assistants and developing data collection methods. Phase 3: Determining the feasibility and sustainability of the breast cancer program, such as interventions, education, navigation, advocacy, and survivorship. Implementing the methodology framework, plan for recruiting participants, and communicating with stakeholders. Phase 4: Conducting data analysis, validating findings and triangulation with women participants and organizing the community stakeholder’s engagement workshops, sharing results, recommendations, and research reports. Outcome measures were validated, triangulated and used as evidence-informed supportive cancer care in consultations with stakeholders. The Research Ethics Board approved the study at Thompson Rivers University, Interior Health Authority and BC Cancer. The participants were informed about the study purpose, procedures and rights. Knowledge mobilization and translation is a critical phase of the community participatory approach. Research team members participated in ongoing dialogue to decide the best methods of communication with the most significant impact for participants. Knowledge mobilization initiatives were focused on sharing findings with multiple audiences’ community members, knowledge holders, and knowledge users to advance practical outcomes and increase understanding about the needs and concerns of cancer survivors in supporting them. Findings from this knowledge synthesis research were shared through interactive knowledge mobilization summits at local and regional community events in British Columbia.