Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2024

What Services Are Available for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Patients in the Survivorship Setting? An Australian Study (#304)

Lawrence Kasherman 1 2 3 , Isaac Addo 4 , Sim Yee (Cindy) Tan 1 2 , Ash Malalasekera 1 2 , Joanne Shaw 5 , Janette Vardy 1 2
  1. Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Sydney Cancer Survivorship Centre, Concord Cancer Centre, Concord Hospital, Concord, NSW, Australia
  3. Department of Medical Oncology, Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
  4. General Practice Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  5. Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG), School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Aims: People of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds face disparities in cancer care. This interview-based, qualitative scoping study aimed to explore healthcare professionals’ identification of existing CALD-specific Cancer Survivorship (CS) resources and supports in Australian oncology centres.

Methods: Oncology professionals were interviewed using a study-specific structured questionnaire exploring demographics, available resources and referral patterns, followed by semi-structured questions exploring factors influencing CALD CS care. Purposive sampling was used to ensure representation across states and remoteness areas, and sample size was guided by data saturation. Contextual survey data were analysed with descriptive statistics, and interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis.

Results: 22 interviews from 15 institutions across 6 states were conducted from May to August 2023. Over 25 different CALD groups were identified across all the centres as their top 3-5 CALD populations, and six (40%) centres reported seeing >25% CALD patients. Six (40%) centres reported having dedicated CS services dichotomised into clinic-based or needs-based services. Ten (67%) centres reported having CALD-specific resources/supports for oncology patients, and only three (20%) had CS-specific services. Four underlying themes of particular relevance to CALD CS care were identified: patient-clinician interface, with particular regard to the impact of intersectionality in the setting of survivorship and CALD populations; in-language resources and staff with a focus on cultural relevance; structural and logistical considerations with an emphasis on interpreter services, workflow management and models of care; and education and collaboration between healthcare professionals and survivors, carers and community leaders to maximise service building and awareness.

Conclusions: Cancer survivors from CALD backgrounds face unique challenges in receiving optimal care, with limited availability of CALD-specific resources and services in Australian cancer centres. Future works to address these unmet needs should utilise a focused, tailored and collaborative approach to optimise cultural relevance and service engagement.