Optimising the Capability of the Allied Health Workforce within Cancer Prehabilitation
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Project Leader
Professor Lynette Joubert+ 61 3 834 49417
Project Details
There is growing evidence that supports preparing newly diagnosed cancer patients for and optimizing their health before starting acute treatments. Cancer prehabilitation has been defined as a process on the continuum that occurs between the time of cancer diagnosis and the start of treatment4. Evidence exists that cancer prehabilitation has the potential to: reduce complications from treatments, improve treatment compliance; enhance patient care experiences; and improve physical and psychological health outcomes. Evidence exists that prehabilitation can produce measurable improvements in patients with lung, head and neck and gastrointestinal cancers.
Multiple cancer prehabilitation approaches exist that are performed by allied health professionals (AHPs) including: exercising, medical management, nutritional counseling, psychosocial strategies designed to better prepare patients for the challenges of forthcoming cancer treatments. To date there is a lack of data on the roles and contribution of allied health professionals in cancer prehabilitation and limited evidence to support the work practices of allied health professionals in cancer prehabilitation.
This research is designed to build the capability of allied health professionals in cancer prehabilitation.
Researchers
Funding
Department of Human Services