Dr Lucy Brindle, Associate Professor in Early Diagnosis Research at the University of Southampton, is leading the way in co-creating, testing and introducing innovative e-learning for healthcare professionals to improve patient understanding of increased cancer risk – enabling them to make better informed decisions, and reducing harm from overtreatment.
Lucy led the Understanding Consequences Study that produced clinical communication e-learning training for cancer specialists. It is predicted that for every prostate cancer specialist who completes the e-learning module, approximately 100 men diagnosed with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer per year will:
- better understand the potential for cancer progression
- experience fewer cancer concerns
- be better supported to make their treatment decisions
Prostate cancer in the UK
In the UK, 1 in 2 adults will develop cancer, and increasing numbers of patients are receiving test results indicating low risk or premalignant cancer that may never impact on health.
Cancer and cancer treatment present risks in terms of the cancer progressing and the consequences of the treatment itself. Decisions about how to manage these increased risks can cause challenges for patients and their families.
Prostate cancer affects 1 in 10 men in the UK, but it is often slow-growing and unlikely to cause health problems. Furthermore, prostate cancer treatments commonly lead to long-term side effects.
UK National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) guidelines recommend that health professionals inform patients about the risks, benefits and uncertainty of prostate cancer treatment and management options in an objective and unbiased manner.
However, conveying the risks of cancer progression and treatment can be challenging for health professionals. Patients and their families can be left with concerns about cancer progression that affect preferences for active surveillance versus ‘immediate’ treatment.
Our innovative e-learning module is enabling clinicians to ease the worries, reduce harm from overtreatment and better inform men living with increased prostate cancer risk.
Dr Lucy Brindle, Associate Professor in Early Diagnosis Research
Improving communication
Lucy’s team has been exploring how communication about clinical cancer risk impacts on the experience of living with increased cancer risk.
The research takes a sociological approach to understanding health professional-patient interaction. It identifies how clinical communication can be enhanced to help patients not only better understand the risks from prostate cancer progression, but also be better prepared to make decisions about treatment.
The team has used real-life examples from recorded clinical consultations and interviews with patients to co-produce interactive e-learning with urologists, oncologists and cancer nurse specialists.
They collaborated with Dr Sarah Fielding and Bobbi Moore – both world-leading Southampton experts in digital learning – to produce the bite-sized, interactive learning module that is available online 24/7.
The study has been evaluated using a controlled cohort design, to see the effect on patient experience and treatment choice.
Reducing psychological worries and treatment harm
The e-learning tool for prostate cancer specialists is reducing patient overestimation of the risk of cancer progression and easing cancer worries. It is leading men to remain on active surveillance for longer and decreasing the side effects from overtreatment. Its flexibility is maximising the impact and reach for busy healthcare professionals.
Prostate Cancer UK has estimated that 5,000 men a year in the UK are overtreated for prostate cancer. As well as the potential to reduce harm from overtreatment in the UK, the research also has the potential to increase resilience to prostate cancer screening internationally, by limiting psychological and treatment harm arising from early diagnosis.
Lucy is also exploring clinical communication about cancer risk in patients presenting with possible cancer symptoms. The Catric Study is investigating the development of e-learning to support shared decision-making about tests in primary care.
Southampton colleague Professor Claire Foster, Professor of Psychosocial Oncology, is also leading research into co-creating, testing and introducing web-based patient decision aids. These will complement clinical conversations and promote more informed decisions about genetic testing and cancer risk management options.
If you're a healthcare professional who would like to register for the Understanding Consequences risk communication e-learning module, please complete our short form.
