SWSLHD Cancer Services provides ongoing care to 12,500 individuals each year. 49% are from a Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Background.
We know CALD patients experience greater mortality and morbidity, report higher levels of fear & stigma of Cancer & treatment, and have reduced engagement with medical teams, and participate less in clinical trials.
Our research studies of Patient Reported Measures since 2013 - have demonstrated that regular collection of an integrated ePRMs system is acceptable and feasible, leads to reduced ED visits, longer chemotherapy tolerability, improved Quality of Life and Survival. And we know that Clinical trial participation provides survival and quality of life benefits. Yet CALD patients are often excluded from these clinical pathways.
To implement CALD PRMs into routine care - to better understand the impact of culture on wellbeing, and close the gap in patient outcomes.
Develop workflows for culturally congruent navigators to routinely collect electronic Patient Reported Measures for Arabic, Vietnamese and Aboriginal patients, facilitating appropriate referrals to supportive care.
Cultivate community links and curate education and self-management resources.
Evaluate patient outcomes using RE-AIM framework.
Early observations have demonstrated that providing a safe and culturally appropriate environment for patient care has had a significant impact on individuals.
Patients who had withdrawn from their families due to stigma and fear, were able to candidly discuss their symptoms and their worries in their own language with someone who could offer emotional support and make referrals to further care.
Culturally appropriate supportive care can lead to improved treatment compliance, and has a positive impact on patients’ wellbeing.
We used the evidence obtained during our pilot studies, and implementation studies to embed equity into delivering patient reported measures into routine care. We are building staff capacity and their knowledge of PRMs, and continue to work closely with our community to provide more culturally relevant support for our patients.