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

Title The COMET Program – Fostering Research in Community Palliative Care Settings   Stream Palliative and end of life care   Clinical abstract- development of innovative programs, interventions or service delivery models of care: (126728)

Lucy Demediuk 1 2 3 , Brian Le 1 2 4 , Angela Chia 1 2 5 , Meera Agar 4 , Aaron Wong 1 2 , Mark Rosenthal 1 2 , Natasha Smallwood 3 6 , Craig Underhill 7 , Ruwani Mendis 8 , Anna Collins 2 5 , John Doran 9 , Michelle Wood 10 , Tracey Bilson 11 , Samantha Chandler 12 , Jennifer Philip 1 2 5
  1. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. University of Melbourne, Melbourne
  3. Alfred Health, Melbourne
  4. University of Technology, Sydney
  5. St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
  6. Monash University, Melbourne
  7. Border Oncology, Albury
  8. Western Health, Melbourne
  9. Melbourne City Mission, Melbourne
  10. Banksia Community Palliative Care, Melbourne
  11. Consumer at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
  12. Consumer at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne

Background

Despite caring for many people, the community palliative care (CPC) sector is under-represented in clinical research.

People receiving CPC often have significant symptom needs, and  find travel to treatment centres burdensome. Current clinical trial systems do not meet their needs.

Increasing access to clinical trials and research-informed care is important to address immediate care experiences of patients and to improve clinical outcomes.

The Community Supportive Care Trials (COMET) Program is a 3-year implementation program, funded by the Cancer Council Victoria and Victorian Cancer Agency, which aims to build a sustainable research and clinical trial program in Victoria. .

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Methods

The COMET Program uses a multidimensional implementation approach informed by the RE-AIM framework to build a sustainable research and clinical trial program. Key strategies include:

  • Research capacity-building via education, training and resource provision
  • Development of a network of clinical researchers
  • Establishing systems of eligible patient identification using existing data collection and service delivery structures
  • Establishing seamless referral systems

 

The COMET Program has engaged with CPC services in metropolitan and regional Victoria.  

Successful implementation strategies include: staff education; distribution of resources; and research development workshops. The resulting increased research activity is evident by patient identification (n=129) and clinical trial participation (n=14), and the development of a clinical trial designed for people accessing CPC with a consumer-informed protocol.  

 

Impact on practice

COMET Program improves access and participation in clinical trials for CPC patients and enhances staff research capability, awareness, capacity through a series of systematic planned activities using an evidence-based implementation framework.

 

Discussion

COMET is an ongoing implementation project that has successfully enhanced staff and patient engagement with clinical trial research in the Victorian CPC sector.

Its proven strategies provide an evidence informed, scalable and robust framework for broader adoption, helping to better address the unmet needs of the Australian CPC population