Christmas comes early for researchers

Christmas comes early for researchers

Christmas came early for several Calvary Mater Newcastle staff who presented collaborative research projects in a chilly Banff to 700 like-minded health care professionals at the 21st World Congress of Psycho-Oncology.

Gastrointestinal Cancer Care Co-Ordinator Cath Johnson presented a poster on integrating supportive care screening and assessment into routine clinical care, work she had conducted with Radiation Oncology Nurse Practitioner Yolande Cox, Clinical Psychologist Kerrie Clover, and Erin Forbes, from the University of Newcastle’s School of Medicine and Public Health.

“Much of the work presented during the meeting was about how to integrate screening into routine care when you have large numbers of patients, how to interpret the data provided by screening over time and responding to the needs identified by patients,” Cath said.

The cost of screening and issues of inclusivity and accessibility for patients with low levels of literacy and patients with a disability continue to be challenging, she said.

Cath also presented on recent work with patients and carers to develop the CANcierge app at a special symposium on how ehealth tools can enhance patient-centred psychosocial care. The smartphone app helps cancer patients to navigate services, improve treatment experiences and enhance capacity for self-care.

Social workers Julia Drake and Noelle Gallant presented a poster on caring for caring professionals in a cancer hospital. The research into compassion, fatigue, burnout and distress in the workplace was conducted with colleagues Emma Sturgess and Melissa Walker.

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