Anne Fraser has been funded $75,000 to support her research.
Investigating alternative models for follow-up for lung cancer patients
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death both in NZ and worldwide. Currently, people diagnosed with lung cancer attend three monthly follow-up appointments with their Doctor.
Attendance at these appointments can impact on patient’s quality of life and anxiety. Many patient’s experiences of attending follow-up appointments is that they are a ‘waste of a day’, ‘require unnecessary travel’, and ‘could have been done by a nurse on the phone’.
For her PhD, Ann Fraser will build and evaluate a novel follow up model for advanced stage lung cancer patients. She will conduct a literature review looking at follow-up systems used for cancer patients internationally. She will then conduct a trial conducted at two clinical centres in New Zealand where she will identify patient preference for follow-up.
How will it help people affected by cancer?
The results of this research may result in a restructure of clinics for advanced stage lung cancer patients and potential role out across other oncology tumour streams. Overall, it may result in improvements in cancer care and patient’s quality of life.