Poster Presentation Victorian Integrated Cancer Service Conference 2015

Development of a geriatric online education resource for nurses to improve the care of older people with cancer (#88)

Rose Kamateros 1 , Cathie Pigott 1 2 , Kylie Ash 3 , Heather Watson 1 , Patsy Yates 3 , Jo-Anne Martin 4 , Chelsea Victor 4 , Jess Jude 5 , Fleur Llewelyn 5 , Shannon Uren 6 , Di Saward 7 , Bobbi Moore 8 , Tim Shaw 8 , Meinir Krishnasamy 1 2
  1. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre , Melbourne, Victoria
  2. Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria
  3. School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland
  4. The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne , Victoria
  5. The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria
  6. Western Health, Melbourne, Victoria
  7. Western Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (WCMICS), Melbourne, Victoria
  8. Workforce Education Development Group (WEDG), Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales

Background and aims

Improving care of older people with cancer is a priority for health services [1]. This project will develop and pilot test an online education resource to improve nursing care of older people with cancer. The resource targets nurses working with cancer patients who have little or no geriatric experience.

Project Design

The online education resource will include four, two hour interactive education modules, covering:

1.      Changes associated with ageing (including definitions of ageing and assessment)

2.      Impact of cancer and treatment on older people

3.      Communicating with older people about cancer and treatment

4.      Professional issues associated with caring for older people with cancer

Person-centred themes integral to geriatric care - safety, health literacy, and support and well-being – are explored.

Method

Module content is written by nurse educators and project staff. Each module is reviewed by:

·         A multi-disciplinary panel (dietician, exercise physiologist, geriatrician, social worker, nurse academic and medical oncologist).

·         Consumer group (4-6 consumer representatives).

Final draft content will inform the prototype of the online resource. Pilot testing will be overseen by project staff, a consumer representative, and nursing education staff from participating hospitals.

Pilot testing

A minimum sample of 40 registered nurses working with cancer patients will be recruited from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Western Health, The Womens’ Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Cancer Nurses Society of Australia. Consenting nurses will be asked to complete at least one of the four modules and corresponding evaluation form to assess module presentation, layout, length, content, clinical relevance and usefulness.

Descriptive statistics and content analysis will be used to analyse evaluation data. Findings will be used to refine the resource prior to the release of the resource nationally.  

  1. Societe Internacionale d'Oncolgie Geriatrique, The SIOG 10 Priorities Initiative, I.S.o.G. Oncology, Editor. 2011, International Society of Geriatric Oncology: United States of America.