VCS Foundation Online Course Content for GPs treating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer patients

The project was funded by Victorian Cancer Society Foundation Ltd.

Who funded the project

 

The VCS Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in cancer prevention and population health. Karabena Consulting was engaged by the VCS Foundation to develop a section of their online course for General Practitioners, practice nurses and other interested health care practitioners about breast, bowel and cervical screening.

The module we developed provides a strong focus on providing culturally safe care and equitable screening access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

Karabena Consulting undertook a literature review to inform the development of the course module and worked with the content experts and an online education delivery partner (ModMed) to take the content to an online platform.

Summary

 

The aim of the project was to develop a course module focusing on providing culturally safe care and equitable cancer screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

Project Aims

 

To complete this project, Karabena Consulting undertook a literature review.

Methodologies

 

We reviewed information from Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet and incorporated our findings into five lessons, with a list of references and resources that could provide additional supports to practitioners working with Aboriginal cancer patients and their families. Of relevance was information about referral pathways, resources for sharing with patients, and opportunities to promote accessible tests and cost-effective supports.

Methodological outcomes

 

We were able to develop content for an online module for use by cancer councils across Victoria in support of GP and nursing services providing cancer care to individuals and families.

Our course content included:

  • General Introduction

  • Breast Screening

  • Bowel Screening

  • Cervical Screening

  • Indigenous status identification and asking the question

  • Additional resources including the Beautiful Shawl Project and Mary G’s videos on bowel cancer treatment.

Outputs

 

We will have contributed information to the health sector in Victoria through an online course to enhance GPs’ understanding of how to engage underscreened and target populations in a wide range of cancer screening activities.

We were able to provide access to resources that are up-to-date and specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. We were able to legitimise the content by being an Indigenous health service provider with high quality content knowledge and a proven track record of knowledge translation.

Project Outcomes

 

Cancer; Online; Training; Bowel Screening; Cancer Screening; Breast Cancer; Cervical Cancer; Underscreened; Cancer Council; VCS Foundation

Key Words

Camille Gonza