Del Rio, Maguy

Regional development of healthcare partnerships to support patients receiving oral therapy: PACTO 34 - 2024.


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Oral therapy (OT) is one of the most advanced therapies available in cancer treatment. However, patients need to be treated on an outpatient basis, which calls for a high level of autonomy. With the financial support of the Occitanie Regional Health Agency (ARS Occitanie), the Montpellier Cancer Institute (ICM) has set up a patient support program involving accompanying patient partners (APPs). The aims of this program are: to enhance current outpatient care for the patient, reduce social withdrawal, and assess the added value of this additional support from APPs. Two APPs were recruited, trained, and included as fully-fledged members of the OT Care Team. Implemented in January 2023, initial feedback shows that over 50 percent of patients accepted the peer support offered and felt understood, reassured, confident, and morally supported by APPs. Another noted benefit of the program is how easily patients can communicate with the OT Care Team. One expected impact of this support is to improve treatment compliance and detect toxicity at an earlier stage. Evaluation of this support program, planned over three years, will take into account the advantages for patients, the care team, and APPs themselves, but will also aim to identify a medical-economic model ensuring the long-term viability of the scheme and facilitating its rollout in other healthcare areas.