Background
People with melanoma report substantial unmet supportive care needs, with access to a psychologist identified as the highest need. To meet this need, the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) established a dedicated Clinical Psychology Service (CPS) which operates under MIA’s three pillars of clinical care, education and research. The aim of this poster is to share melanoma-specific insights and resources with other clinicians.
Methods
Clinical Care
The CPS was established in August 2021 to provide clinical psychology support for MIA patients. Our interventions are informed by the results of the Psychological Support Implementation Study conducted by MIA. The CPS also provides specialised psychological input into complex case discussions in weekly multidisciplinary team meetings.
Education
A range of melanoma-specific patient resources have been developed to support patients and their loved ones from the time of diagnosis. Our CPS team have developed fact sheets and presented at consumer webinars on key supportive care topics. In addition, the CPS team has contributed to the development of accredited leaning modules, videos and podcasts available for access on the Melanoma Education Portal.
Research
Whilst there is anecdotal evidence from patients and their treating teams that engaging in a course of treatment at CPS improves psychological outcomes, research is limited. The CPS is currently undertaking a service evaluation study to assess psychosocial outcomes and patient satisfaction with the psychology service.
Results
This poster will provide an overview of the CPS and display freely available melanoma-specific patient resources.
Discussion
At least 30% of people diagnosed with melanoma report psychological distress indicative of the need of clinical intervention. We know that informational support and supportive care interventions can reduce distress among melanoma patients. Clinicians can utilise the melanoma-specific resources available on the MIA website to provide supportive care interventions in their own practice.