The Cancer Survivor Voice - Messages for Education and Practice
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Cancer Survivor Voice: messages for education and practice, an evaluated co-production for Wales.
IRAS ID
184097
Contact name
Sally Anstey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Over two million people in the UK have a cancer diagnosis. Numbers will increase to three million by 2030 as diagnostic procedures improve and treatment becomes more effective Today cancer patients, parents and caregivers experiences of treatment and care, quality of life, the services they use and the types of support they require rightfully influence the policy and service development agenda but yet to influence healthcare professionals’ education. The purpose of the proposed project is to facilitate partnership working between cancer survivors, clinicians and education staff to develop, deliver and evaluate a specific cancer educational course.
Healthcare professionals meet patients who survive cancer in a variety of settings. As well as requiring ongoing follow-up by cancer specialists, such patients are likely to access other healthcare services in hospital and the community. Both specialist and non-specialist staff need to understand the cancer patients’ perspective and how they think, feel and make sense of their experiences. The Health and Care Professions Council (HPC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and Cardiff University School of Healthcare Sciences specifically requires service user (patient) input into the design and delivery ofcourses. Thus incorporating the patient experience into the design of a specific cancer education course for healthcare professionals resonates with these recommendations and supports the current political and organisational focus on service user involvement and the ‘voice of the expert patient’; promoting dignity and empowerment. The new approach proposed by this project is to educate healthcare professionals about cancer and to move away from service-led, top-down approaches to one that demonstrates genuine citizen empowerment, involving service-users and their communities in the co-commissioning, co-design, co-delivery and co-evaluation of an educational initiative.
REC name
Wales REC 2
REC reference
15/WA/0261
Date of REC Opinion
1 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion