Canadian Resources, Programs, and Models of Care to Support Cancer Survivors’ Transition beyond Treatment: A Scoping Review

Abstract

(1) Background: One in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, but as a result of the progress in diagnosis and treatment, more individuals are surviving cancer than ever before. However, the impact of cancer does not end with treatment. The objectives of this review are to (1) provide a broad overview of the supportive care interventions and models of care that have been researched to support Canadian post-treatment cancer survivors; and (2) analyze how these supportive care interventions and/or care models align with the practice recommendations put forth by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) and the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology/Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CAPO/CPAC). (2) Methods: An electronic search was completed in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL in January 2021. Included studies described supportive care interventions or models of care utilized by adult Canadian cancer survivors. (3) Results: Forty-two articles were included. Survivors utilized a multitude of supportive care interventions, with peer support and physical activity programs being most frequently cited. Four models of follow-up care were identified: primary care, oncology care, shared-care, and transition clinics. The supportive care interventions and models of care variably aligned with the recommendations set by CCO and CAPO/CPAC. The most commonly followed recommendation was the promotion of self-management and quality resources for patients. (4) Conclusions: Results indicate an inconsistency in access to supportive care interventions and the delivery of survivorship care for cancer survivors across Canada. Current efforts are being made to implement the recommendations by CCO and CAPO/CPAC; however, provision of these guidelines remains varied.

Rural‐urban differences in distress, quality of life, and social support among Canadian young adult cancer survivors: A Young Adults with Cancer in Their Prime (YACPRIME) study

“…Equitable and tailored survivorship care plays a vital role in improving the health outcomes of individuals with cancer regardless of age 24 . Yet, rural cancer survivors may struggle to access appropriate services, given that care is typically offered through primary care providers or transition clinics at the cancer center 10 …”

“…Many concerns faced by YAs with cancer can be addressed through appropriate cancer survivorship care. However, survivorship care in Canada is often offered through primary care, transition clinics, or supportive care programs at regional cancer centers that are difficult for rural patients to access 10 . These access issues may lead to increased psychosocial and financial burdens 11 .…”

“…However, survivorship care in Canada is often offered through primary care, transition clinics, or supportive care programs at regional cancer centers that are difficult for rural patients to access. 10 These access issues may lead to increased psychosocial and financial burdens. 11 Within the extant rural-urban literature, only 2 reports studied Canadian YAs, 12,13 and neither included a nationwide sample of YA cancer survivors or quantified patient experiences.…”

Describing Supportive Care Programming Access and Comfort Gathering through the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Mixed Methods Study with Adults Affected by Cancer

“…Supportive care programming (i.e., resources that help adults affected by cancer manage concerns related to their disease) is viewed as an essential adjunct to cancer care and may include psycho-oncology (e.g., support groups) and integrative medicine (e.g., physical activity or yoga programs) [ 12 ]. Supportive care programming has commonly been delivered in-person (face-to-face) in clinic- or community-based settings.…”

Defining a patient-centered approach to cancer survivorship care: development of the patient centered survivorship care index (PC-SCI)

“…In response to this need, the National Policy Forum of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) issued a call to action in 2006 and the Commission on Cancer began requiring focused attention on the post-treatment care of cancer survivors [ 9 ]. Subsequently, a variety of care models have arisen, including nurse-led models [ 10 , 11 ], primary care models [ 12 ], models in which oncology and primary care share different aspects of post-treatment care [ 13 ], transitional care models [ 14 ], and—most recently--virtual care models [ 15 ]. As survivorship care programs work to address the needs of this growing patient population, cancer researchers and providers are in need of guidelines and strategies to clearly define, measure and implement high quality, patient-centered survivorship care across all models of care [ 6 , 9 ].…”