RFDS Cancer Outback project
RFDS has been conducting a project, funded by Cancer Australia, looking specifically at the information and support needs of patients with cancer, their carers and family members who live in rural and remote areas.
People experiencing cancer benefit from receiving information on their illness and also from having contact with people who have experienced the same or similar illness.
An assessment of an individual’s information and support needs has to be conducted to determine what information should be provided and also whether the individual would be suited to attending a support group. It is not a question of ‘one size fits all’ with people’s needs in this regard being different.
The main findings from this project were:
- There is a vast amount of health information available and those patients and carers interviewed often felt overwhelmed by the amount and requested the development of a guide to assist them in accessing good, reliable information.
- Health professionals are a key access point for patients in that they can direct patients to the most useful information and advise them on information which has been found, particularly on the internet. Therefore it is important that health professionals are aware of which resources are available and which would be most useful for people.
- The rural and remote context is unique and poses particular challenges to someone experiencing cancer. Isolation and being far from specialist care means that special consideration must be given to those living remotely. Health professionals must be aware of the effect of distance and poorer access to services. Innovative solutions may be required to meet people’s needs – e.g. if a person could benefit from a support group perhaps a telephone or on-line support service would work.
- Special needs groups are evident in rural and remote areas, for example Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They will require information and support that is culturally appropriate and will be accessible for people whose first language is not English. Specific information resources and supports devised and organised by Aboriginal people themselves are most likely to be effective.
These summary findings have led to the following actions:
- Developing an RFDS guide to the best health information resources. This is partly achieved through this “In focus:” area of the RFDS web site and a Health Information area that will be developed.
- Developing a ‘toolkit’ for RFDS and other rural and remote health practitioners to stress the importance of the information and support needs of cancer patients. The toolkit will include relevant academic papers, useful links and a guide to good patient resources. The toolkit will take the form of an interactive e-learning module which can be worked through by health professionals.