Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research

3 PUBLICATIONS $146K GRANT FUNDING

3 PRESENTATIONS

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

Associate Professor Philip Russo

RESEARCH FELLOW

Dr Lucille Kerr

STUDENTS

Ali Tehrani, PhD, Monash University

Pheona van Huizen, PhD, Monash University

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF STAFF WHO HAVE LEFT (2021-22)

Elizabeth Todio

COVID-19 has had an emotional impact on all of us, and there will be long-term psychological costs and mental health implications.

Many people deferred doctor and hospital visits - for fear of exposure to COVID-19, especially as we waited for vaccines to be developed. For many cancer patients this was not an option. They had to attend hospitals for treatment; it wasn’t deferrable and couldn’t be delivered through telehealth.

The Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research led by Associate Professor Phil Russo (pictured), set out to understand the experiences of people with cancer and their caregivers during the pandemic, in order to gain important knowledge about how future healthcare should be provided in crises. Their study, COVID-19 and Cancer, published in May this year in Cancer Nursing, interviewed 16 cancer healthcare professionals and 19 cancer patients or their carers about their experiences during this time.

The team identified five interrelated themes from the interviews: uncertainty and vulnerability, constraints and restrictions, isolation and disconnection, burdens and stressors, and adaptability and resilience.

The results suggested that for people with cancer and their caregivers, cancer diagnosis concerns outweigh those associated with fear and risks of COVID-19.

Social isolation was the most significant challenge.

Speaking directly with the people affected highlighted that healthcare services can assist those who are feeling more vulnerable during crises, especially through greater access to psychosocial and spiritual services, and by providing greater supportive care.

This research was made possible by generosity of the donors who support the Alan Jackson Nursing Research Grant.