Download A Framework for Optimal Cancer Care Pathways in Practice

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
These example questions and answers may be used on a “Frequently asked questions”
page on a website or intranet or in other communications channels to key stakeholders.
GENERAL AUDIENCE
The following examples are designed for audiences that have no awareness or little
understanding of Optimal Cancer Care Pathways. The answers use messages
predominantly tailored for patients and people affected by cancer.
Question:
What are Optimal Cancer Care Pathways?
Answer:
Optimal Cancer Care Pathways are national guides to the best cancer care for
specific tumour types.
The pathways describe the key stages in a patient’s cancer journey and
expected optimal care at each stage to ensure all people diagnosed with
cancer get the best care, regardless of where they live or have cancer
treatment.
Question:
Who are Optimal Cancer Care Pathways for?
Answer:
For each cancer pathway there are three versions:

A detailed clinical pathway for cancer specialists, health professionals
and health service administrators

Quick reference guide for GPs – to familiarise GPs and primary care
providers with the care pathway

Patient ‘what to expect’ guides – to assist patients and people affected
by cancer to understand the care pathway and what to expect at each
stage.
Detailed pathways, quick reference guides and patient guides have been
developed for 15 tumour types:

acute myeloid leukaemia

breast cancer

colorectal cancer

endometrial cancer

head and neck cancers

hepatocellular carcinoma

high-grade glioma cancer

hodgkins lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

lung cancer
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
melanoma

non-melanoma skin cancers

oesophagogastric cancer

ovarian cancer

pancreatic cancer

prostate cancer.
Question:
What are Optimal Cancer Care Pathways for?
Answer:
The pathways have been developed to ensure all people diagnosed with
cancer get the best care, regardless of where they live or have cancer
treatment.
Cancer services and hospitals will use the pathways to better plan and
coordinate cancer services, to ensure patients have access to “best practice”
care, including coordinated and multidisciplinary treatment and supportive
care.
Cancer clinicians and health professionals will use pathways to provide
optimal treatment and to make sure patients and their carers get the
supportive care they need at each stage of their cancer journey.
For patients and people affected by cancer, the pathways explain the usual
stages of optimal cancer treatment and care and what to expect at each stage.
They can be used to guide questions to ask health professionals and to help
patients ensure they receive the best possible treatment and support.
Question:
Where can I get an Optimal Cancer Care Pathway or more information?
Answer:
If you have been diagnosed with cancer or are family or friend of
someone who has been: You can use the interactive guides on the pathways
website or print an information sheet for your cancer type at
www.cancerpathways.org.au.
Answer:
If you are a GP or practice manager: You can access all the quick reference
guides at www.cancer.org.au/OCP. You can also import the quick reference
guides and patient version PDFs into your GP software.
Answer:
If you want the detailed Optimal Cancer Care Pathways documents: All
15 pathways can be downloaded from www.cancer.org.au/OCP.
HEALTH SERVICE ADMINISTRATORS AND CLINICIANS
The following examples are designed for health service administrators and clinicians and
others responsible for the provision of cancer care.
Question:
Why are the pathways entitled “optimal” when we do not have resources
for Optimal care?
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Answer:
The pathways reflect current best practice for achieving the best possible
patient outcomes.
In resource-constrained environments, alignment with the Optimal Cancer
Care Pathways may require alternate sourcing of optimal care or transferring
patients to services in which the resources are available.
Question:
Why is a Multidisciplinary team approach necessary?
Answer:
Evidence demonstrates that a multidisciplinary team approach to care
produces the best patient outcomes. Cancer patients have complex needs
and require access to a range of specialist services for best outcomes.
A range of solutions, such as meeting via teleconferencing, may be required to
provide multidisciplinary care in situations in which frequent face-to-face
meetings are not possible.
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