Understanding and improving knowledge of cancer survivorship care among college providers.

Abstract

101 Background: Young adult survivor (YAS) engagement in follow-up care is often compromised by competing developmental transitions, including attending college away from home and pediatric oncology team, as well as community providers’ deficits in knowledge related to caring for YAS. The aims were to assess college providers’ basic knowledge of the risks of YAS and related care guidelines and determine whether an educational in-service is an effective platform for increasing college health providers’ knowledge about survivorship. Methods: During Phase 1, 40 college health and office of disability staff members from public and private colleges/universities (90.0% female) completed a 41-question survey on their experiences with students who were YAS. In Phase 2, a one-hour educational in-service was provided to 18 health center medical providers (94.1% female) at a private university. In-service content was informed by the original survey. Providers completed pre- and post-test assessments of knowledge about late effects, knowledge of resources, and comfort with caring for YAS. Results: While most providers indicated that YAS are at risk of chronic health conditions because of their cancer treatment (70.6%), nearly all were unfamiliar with the published long-term follow-up guidelines for cancer survivorship (93.8%). Over half of providers did not have knowledge of cancer survivorship services in their area (58.8%). All respondents were interested in more survivorship education. Attendees of the in-service had higher knowledge of survivorship follow-up guidelines at the post-test assessment ( M=4.19) compared to the pre-test ( M=1.81), t=-5.56, p < .001. They endorsed higher awareness of local resources at post-test ( M = 3.67) compared to the pre-test ( M=2.13), t=-3.62, p < .01. Attendees reported higher comfort with caring for cancer survivors at post-test ( M=3.00) compared to the pre-test ( M=2.00), t=-3.42, p< .01. Conclusions: College providers had little baseline knowledge of cancer survivorship guidelines, but were motivated to obtain more information. An in-service improved college health providers’ knowledge of caring for YAS, awareness of published guidelines, and comfort in providing care.