Never too old to learn new tricks: Surveying Canadian healthcare professionals about learning needs in caring for older adults with cancer

Martine Puts; Ewa Szumacher; David Dawe; Margaret Fitch; Jennifer Jones; Tamas Fülöp; Shabbir M H Alibhai; Tina Hsu; Fay Strohschein; Canadian Network on Aging and Cancer

doi:10.1016/j.jgo.2020.08.010

Never too old to learn new tricks: Surveying Canadian healthcare professionals about learning needs in caring for older adults with cancer

J Geriatr Oncol. 2021 Mar;12(2):262-273. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.08.010. Epub 2020 Sep 3.

Authors

Martine Puts¹, Ewa Szumacher², David Dawe³, Margaret Fitch⁴, Jennifer Jones⁵, Tamas Fülöp⁶, Shabbir M H Alibhai⁷, Tina Hsu⁸, Fay Strohschein⁹; Canadian Network on Aging and Cancer

Affiliations

¹ Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: martine.puts@utoronto.ca.
² Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Internal Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
⁴ Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ Department of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
⁷ Medicine, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; Faculty of Medicine and Institute of Health Management, Policy and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁸ The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Division of Medical Oncology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁹ Oncology and Aging Program, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.

PMID: 32891617
DOI: 10.1016/j.jgo.2020.08.010

Abstract

Introduction: The number of older adults with cancer is growing but little is known about healthcare professionals' (HCPs) perceptions of their readiness to care for older adults with cancer. The Canadian Network on Aging and Cancer together with the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology, Oncology and Aging Special Interest Group, conducted a survey to assess geriatric oncology learning needs of Canadian HCPs and explore any differences in needs between nurses and physicians.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to Canadian HCP, which assessed respondent confidence and desire to learn about domains related to geriatric oncology, current clinical practice and sociodemographic information. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to characterize participant characteristics, learning needs and compare learning needs of physicians vs. nurses.

Results: Respondents (n = 154) were mostly physicians (n = 78, 51%) or nurses (n = 56, 36%). Respondents reported not being confident addressing mental health issues (75%), polypharmacy (71%), geriatric oncology care models (69%), and return to baseline function post-treatment (67%). Physicians reported more confidence than nurses in managing comorbidities (72% vs. 49%, p < 0.05), having difficult conversations (90% vs. 68%, p < 0.001), and addressing ageism (76% vs. 58%, p < 0.05), while nurses reported more confidence with managing mobility limitations (64% vs 42%, p < 0.05), fall prevention (72% vs. 26%, p < 0.01) and supporting caregivers (74% vs 52%, p < 0.05). Nurses wanted to learn more about geriatric oncology than physicians for 10 domains (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: There is a need for interprofessional educational initiatives that address differences between nurses and physicians in clinical areas of confidence and learning needs.

Keywords: Education; Geriatric knowledge; Geriatric oncology; Health care providers; Needs assessment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Canada
Delivery of Health Care
Humans
Medical Oncology
Neoplasms* / therapy
Surveys and Questionnaires