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

Exploring patients’ and healthcare professionals’ views of a specialist cancer nurse-led telehealth service for regional Victorians affected by pancreatic cancer: the PANConnect intervention (126543)

Meabh Cullinane 1 , Lisa Brady 1 , Lisa Guccione 1 2 , Robert Blum 3 , Michael Michael 2 4 , Melissa Loorham 3 , Irene Moravski 5 , Graham Wells Wells 5 , Mei Krishnasamy 1 6 7
  1. Centre for Health Services Research in Cancer, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre , MELBOURNE, VIC, Australia
  2. Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  3. Bendigo Oncology Unit, Bendigo Health, Bendigo, VIC, Australia
  4. Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, MELBOURNE, VIC, Australia
  5. Consumer Partner, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, MELBOURNE, VIC, Australia
  6. Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences , The University of Melbourne, MELBOURNE, VIC, Australia
  7. Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer has the worst case-fatality of any cancer, and patients report a high symptom burden. Although access to specialist cancer nurses positively impacts quality of life, in Australia, there is variation in access to specialist nurses. We co-designed a centralised nurse-led telehealth intervention (PANConnect), providing timely, personalised symptom management to pancreatic cancer patients, irrespective of location. The intervention consists of weekly telehealth consultations with a specialist cancer nurse, with real-time communication of outcomes to the patient’s treating team.

Objectives: To assess the acceptability of PANConnect at a regional cancer service in Victoria, Australia, and explore patients’ and clinicians’ views of the service

Procedures: A concurrent mixed methods approach was used. Patients affected by pancreatic cancer and their treating healthcare professionals were invited to take part. Patients were provided with the intervention for 12 weeks, in addition to their usual oncology care. A semi-structured interview informed by two implementation science frameworks was conducted exploring views of the PANConnect intervention.

Results: Nine patients (6 female; 3 male) were recruited to the study (mean age 75.4 years), with interviews conducted with eight. Patients interviewed felt well-supported by PANConnect; valued the care provided to them; the “peace of mind” that the intervention offered; the knowledge of the study nurse; and the time that was dedicated to them. Five healthcare professionals also took part in interviews. Clinicians highlighted the value of PANConnect in addressing specific issues that may not have been prioritised during clinical consultations due to time constraints.

Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that patients and clinicians found PANConnect acceptable, and valued the care and advice provided by the specialist cancer nurse. The effectiveness of the PANConnect intervention in reducing symptom burden will now be assessed through a multi-site randomised trial.