Background
As the number of survivors increase, interventions to address physical, cognitive and emotional impacts of cancer and cancer treatments are evolving. The value of supported self-management, rehabilitation, exercise and dietary interventions for survivors is increasingly highlighted. Allied health professionals working in community health and rehabilitation routinely provide these interventions for people with chronic conditions, but little is known about access to these services for Victorian cancer survivors.
Aim
To identify issues impacting access to community health and rehabilitation services for survivors living in north-eastern Melbourne.
Method
Allied health professionals working for acute oncology, community health and rehabilitation services were surveyed using Survey Monkey.
Results
Surveys were completed by 158 (11 acute and 147 community health/rehabilitation) allied health professionals. Poorly defined referral pathways and low rates of referral were reported. Acute health respondents reported that a lack of screening post-treatment and clear referral indicators impacted numbers referred to community health and rehabilitation services. Both groups reported that a lack of knowledge regarding services, perceived absence of short term goals and nihilistic conceptualisations of cancer impacted access to community health and rehabilitation. Community/rehabilitation allied health professionals applied chronic disease management frameworks to referred survivors but were unaware of increased risks of chronic conditions including cardiovascular late effects, and weight gain associated with some cancer treatments. One quarter (25%) agreed that people with other conditions benefitted more from their treatments than cancer survivors; 48% felt better prepared to provide evidence-based treatments to people with other conditions and only 21% accessed education relating to cancer.
Conclusion
Research increasingly supports the value of rehabilitation and health promotion interventions for cancer survivors. Improving access to these interventions requires a collaborative approach across health sectors to create stronger linkages, improved communication and sharing of knowledge.