Background:
Optimal lifestyle choices can favorably influence the cancer survivorship trajectory. Well-designed telehealth schemes can improve health care access and outcomes by reducing demand on facilities while also creating cost savings and are said to ‘make the health sector more resilient’. For cancer patients, teleoncology has been used to provide medical services as well as allied health and supportive care. Two applications of telemedicine delivered via Cancer Council Victoria to support cancer survivors to improve nutritional outcomes will be presented:
Methodology
Healthy Living After Cancer: Adult participants who have completed active cancer treatment receive up to 12 telephone-delivered health coaching sessions over a period of 6 months from Cancer Council nurses. Staged sessions focus on initiating and sustaining healthy lifestyle changes. Pre and post program data is collected on dietary intake, activity levels and physical parameters.
Telehealth for Supportive Survivorship Care: Asynchronous video conferencing is being used to increase uptake and access to a post-treatment group education, assessment and exercise rehabilitation program education in regional Victoria. Video conferencing is used to link small health services to provide access to dietetic support, development of a health and wellbeing plan and tools to promote supported self-management.
Results:
Healthy Living After Cancer: n=440 national participants have enrolled (88% F); mean age 55 (SD = 12); mean BMI = 29kg/m2 (SD = 7); with a program completion rate of 59%. Among the first 173 patients to complete 6 months of telephone coaching, clinically meaningful improvements have been seen in all participant-reported outcomes including significant increases in daily serves of vegetables and fruit.
Telehealth for Supportive Survivorship Care: Evaluation of the telehealth program related to nutrition will include pre and post program self-reported dietary habits including serves of fruit and vegetables, alcohol consumption, and measures of waist circumference.
Conclusions:
These community delivered models provide structured health education to facilitate supported self-management for cancer survivors across Victoria.