First national Optimal Care Pathway for people in rural and remote areas with cancer
Where you live shouldn’t decide how well you’re cared for when you have cancer. That’s the idea behind the new Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) for people living in rural and remote areas with cancer. It’s the first national pathway of its kind. It was developed through Deakin University’s ECORRA program with funding from the Australian Government’s Cancer Patient Support Program.
The OCP was shaped by a national multidisciplinary expert group, including consumers with lived experience, and refined through public consultation. It is designed to sit alongside the cancer-specific OCPs and is relevant to services in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote settings.
The numbers
- Cancer survival rates are 13% lower for people in rural and remote areas than for those in cities.
- Rural and remote communities are one of ten priority population groups in the Australian Cancer Plan.
- The pathway comes in three parts: the full pathway, a Quick Reference Guide for health professionals, and a Guide to Best Cancer Care for patients, carers and families, including translated versions.
Why it matters for cancer nurses
- It asks for supportive care needs to be assessed and referrals actioned at every step of the pathway, from diagnosis through to end-of-life care.
- It recognises nurse-delivered care. Where no medical oncologist is available, less complex therapies may be delivered by a trained, experienced nurse under the direction of a multidisciplinary team.
- It highlights virtual MDMs, tele-oncology and telehealth as practical ways to reduce travel and keep care close to home.
- It notes that rural and remote survivors report higher rates of fatigue, pain and poorer psychological outcomes, so survivorship care planning and handover to local providers really matter.
Access the pathway on the ECORRA website or via Cancer Council at cancer.org.au/OCP.
