Objectives
A cancer diagnosis can have a substantial impact on an individual's mental and emotional wellbeing and hinder their quality of life, recovery, and survival. Coordinated action across governments and healthcare sectors is crucial to improve access to mental health support services for people affected by cancer. This study evaluated stakeholder perceptions of policy priorities to improve integration of mental health in cancer care in Australia. The aim being to: (1) assess the importance, feasibility, urgency and impact of identified policy priorities; (2) identify contextual factors, barriers and enablers influencing policy implementation; (3) examine variations in perspectives between stakeholder groups; and (4) establish consensus on staged implementation approaches.
Sample/setting
The study recruited two key stakeholder groups: healthcare professionals who work with people affected by cancer (target n=50) and policy professionals with experience in cancer or mental health policy (target n=20).
Procedures
A purpose-built, national, cross-sectional online survey collects both quantitative and qualitative data. Employing multi-criteria decision analysis methodology to systematically evaluate national and state-level policies against weighted criteria. Stakeholders rank and score identified priorities covering areas including psychological distress screening, mental health support integration in cancer care, workforce needs assessment, and improved data collection. Open-ended questions elucidate contextual factors identified as having the potential to impact implementation of these priorities.
Results
Findings identify priority rankings from each stakeholder group, areas of consensus and divergence, and key implementation factors including barriers, enablers, and potential unintended consequences.
Conclusion and clinical implications
Results inform evidence-based mental health policy development and advocacy in Australian cancer care by identifying factors affecting successful policy implementation. This research addresses significant gaps in understanding stakeholder perspectives on proposed policy priorities and their impact on the mental health of people affected by cancer, by enhancing access to timely and appropriate mental health support throughout the cancer care continuum.