Poster Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Evaluation of an online training module to support health professionals in delivering culturally sensitive support addressing fear of cancer recurrence (126256)

Verena S Wu 1 , Fiona Crawford-Williams 2 , Jia (Jenny) Liu 3 4 , Shannon Philp 5 6 , Maria Ftanou 7 , Iman Zakhary 8 , Lorraine Tutton 9 , Natalie Taylor 10 , Olivia Cook 2 , Ben Smith 1
  1. The Daffodil Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. McGrath Foundation, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. St Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
  5. Lifehouse Gynaecological Oncology Group, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  6. Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  7. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  8. Multicultural Services, Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
  9. School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
  10. School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Objectives/Purpose
Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is the most reported unmet supportive care need in people affected by cancer, particularly those from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds. An online training module was developed to support implementation of a clinical pathway for FCR including recommendations for identification, assessment, and management. This pilot study aims to evaluate the acceptability of the online training and its’ impact on health professionals’ (HPs) knowledge, confidence and barriers to delivering culturally sensitive FCR care among culturally and racially diverse groups.

Sample and Setting
The training module was co-designed with a multidisciplinary team of HPs, diverse lived experience advisors, and experts in FCR and adult learning. It showcases the FCR clinical pathway using two video case studies featuring a First Nations and Chinese-speaking patient to demonstrate culturally sensitive FCR care.

Eighty non-mental health professionals working with adult cancer survivors in Australia will be recruited to evaluate the training via the McGrath Foundation, professional networks (e.g., COSA), and social media.

Procedures
Participants will complete the online training module and three surveys: pre-training (T0), immediately post-training (T1), and three months post-training (T2). Surveys assess module satisfaction, knowledge, confidence, and perceived barriers addressing FCR. Pre-post changes in quantitative outcomes will be analysed using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; qualitative feedback will undergo thematic analysis.

Results
40/80 participants (nurses n=39, 97.5%) have been recruited after one week. Changes in knowledge and confidence from T0 to T1 and T2, training module acceptability, and barriers to implementing the clinical pathway in practice will be reported.

Conclusion and Clinical Implications
This study provides initial evidence on the acceptability and effectiveness of an online training module to support culturally sensitive FCR care. Findings will inform future refinements and broader implementation of the FCR clinical pathway to improve survivorship care, particularly for underserved populations.