Understanding barriers and enablers impacting health professionals' referral to supportive care services for patients with pancreatic and oesophagogastric cancer

*** $3,000 scholarship on offer to one successful applicant *** Early identification and referral of patients with unmet needs to supportive care services has demonstrated tangible benefit to patients. Despite this, more than two-thirds of patients with upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer have been reported to have a 'tsunami of unmet [supportive care] needs'. PROJECT AIMS: The qualitative study will be undertaken to understand what factors impact health professionals’ (HPs) referral to supportive care services in Victoria for patients with pancreatic and oesophagogastric cancer. It will also explore compliance with the Optimal Care Pathways that highlight the importance of supportive care at every step of the cancer pathway. The project will involve: 1) Focus groups with 10-15 HPs will be conducted to inform development of a multidisciplinary interview schedule, which will be guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). 2) Semi-structured interviews with 10-15 key stakeholders will be undertaken to explore barriers and enablers to referral to supportive care services. 3) Thematic analysis of qualitative data will be guided by the TDF, and the results used to identify common barriers, and develop subsequent strategies that can facilitate the implementation of clinical pathways into routine practice. *** $3,000 scholarship on offer to one successful applicant ***