Telehealth study aims to improve quality of care for brain cancer patients and families

A new study has received funding from the Victorian Cancer Agency to investigate the effectiveness, cost and role of early palliative care via telehealth for people with brain cancer.

The Care Plus Brain study is led by Professor Jennifer Philip, Chair of Palliative Care and head of the Palliative Nexus team at the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.

The three-year implementation study will focus on patients with high-grade glioma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer that constitutes a significant portion of brain cancer cases. This type of cancer often affects people who are younger and carries a poor prognosis.

Quality of life for people with brain cancer and their families is poorer compared to other cancers, and they require substantial support. However, research shows that early palliative care isn't always offered to patients.

“Accessing palliative care early can help reduce symptoms, improve quality of life for patients, support families better, and at the same time, reduce hospital admissions and costs,” said Professor Philip.

“Care Plus Brain will evaluate the timing of palliative care, the health service use such as hospital presentations, and key quality indicators of care at the end of life, including symptom management, communication, psychosocial support, and caregiver support.”

“This information will help us to improve access to care and overcome long-standing barriers to palliative care referrals, such as the fear of destroying patient hope and uncertainty of the optimal timing for a referral.”

The study will also introduce a telehealth model to overcome geographic service delivery barriers.

“Utilising an innovative service model such as telehealth can help address the limited availability of outpatient palliative care services, especially in regional areas, and close the gap in translating evidence into practice,” said Professor Philip.

The study will be implemented across St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and The Royal Melbourne Hospital from 2024 to 2027.

This program extends the existing Care Plus Study, a multi-site initiative that implements evidence-based best practices in timely and consistent palliative care for people with cancer, aiming to improve health outcomes.