Developing a sustained European initiative for monitoring and sharing practices in psychosocial oncology care provision

The DESIPOC project aims to capitalize on these evidence with an aim to develop and pilot a knowledge hub, virtual observatory and training system in participating countries as proof-of-concept that will collect, organize, and disseminate knowledge, best practices, and resources related to stakeholders’ strategies used and needs towards psychosocial oncology care provision with an emphasis on advancing screening efficacy for mental health challenges, communication, knowledge, skills whilst recognizing and tackling systemic barriers and facilitators for providing care to patients, carers, families and healthcare professionals. Theoretical frameworks from the behavioral sciences such as COM-B are used to allow mapping of different country needs and where policymakers need to focus their efforts and target their interventions. Also, national engagement of experts and AI/ML features will allow for tailored interventions to be delivered through the DESIPOC platform including for example behavioural changes or evidence-based approaches. Policymaking activities will finally allow translation of evidence into policy making suggestions that will be piloted in at least five Member States (Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Romania and Spain).

The DESIPOC will develop an innovative and citizen-centered digital solution with an evidence-based virtual observatory for sharing psychosocial oncology care delivery needs and knowledge and to increase the screening capacity of psychosocial stress (e.g. depressive symptoms, anxiety, burnout, social isolation etc.) among participating countries, supporting decision-makers, experts, and EU citizens to understand the determinants of psychosocial stress, and healthcare professionals’ barriers and facilitators of providing psychosocial care to oncology patients, survivors, carers and healthcare professionals.

Through the implementation of project activities, the following specific objectives will be met:

1) To build Electronic Data Collection (EDC) tools including reviewing available questionnaires, focus groups for content development, pilot for psychometric properties, translation procedure and cultural adaptation to measure the determinants of psychosocial stress for patients, carers and healthcare professionals (survey1) and of healthcare professionals’ skills for delivering psychosocial oncology supportive care efficiently (survey2)

2) To collate best-practice evidence and lessons learnt from participating Member States to develop a set of citizencentered evidence- based, scientifically sound recommendations and advice on how best to deliver psychosocial oncology care and to help healthcare professionals efficiently screen and tackle psychosocial oncology care.

3) To provide a comprehensive assessment of factors underlying psychosocial stress and healthcare professionals’ barriers and facilitators to provide psychosocial oncology care as well as their distribution among target population groups to inform a citizen-centered approach.

4) To design and develop an intuitive and interactive virtual observatory (the DESIPOC platform) to foster dissemination, transferability, utilization of project results across the participating member states, the EU/EEA and beyond.

5) To translate research evidence generated by other WPs into evidence-based recommendations by engaging with stakeholders to address barriers and knowledge gaps and co-create practical solutions for implementation at regional, national, and European level.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor HaDEA can be held responsible for them.

The latest information about the project’s activities can be found by following the project’s social media channels „Facebook“ and „LinkedIn“.

PROJECT PARTNERS

• 1. CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD, Cyprus
• 2. EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTON, Greece
• 3. LIETUVOS SVEIKATOS MOKSLU UNIVERSITETAS, Lithuania
• 4. EUROPEAN CANCER ORGANISATION, Belgium
• 5. PAGKYPRIOS SYNDESMOS KARKINOPATHON KAI FILON 1986, Cyprus
• 6. MEDICAL EDUCATION RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTER S.R.L., Romania
• 7. ADI & SALU SERSOC SL, Spain