Abstract
Purpose: Research on cancer risk, epidemiology, and patient care in the Caribbean region is increasing. The need for cancer prevention education, cancer patient education, and patient social and psychological support are evident. Nonetheless, cancer education and patient support services are limited in both quantity and quality in several of the small island developing Caribbean states. These countries remain challenged to find responsive and cost-effective solutions to address the rising burden of the disease.
Methods: The Caribbean Cancer Portal (CCP) was created by the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF), in collaboration with local and regional partners, following a pilot study to better understand challenges encountered in cancer service delivery for persons affected by the disease in one Caribbean country. Education and patient support emerged as prominent areas of demand. Challenges that ensued from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were also reported and highlighted the immediate need for incorporating innovative approaches in cancer service delivery. The Portal caters to virtual interactions between a diverse community of users in live education sessions, discussion fora, local, regional and international directory services, education materials postings, and patient care information with the intended outcomes of enhanced knowledge, timely and informed decision-making, and receipt of additional support for cancer prevention and patient care.
Results: Processes that evolved in establishing the CCP highlight lessons of better practices around the following themes: diverse, inclusive, and strategic partnerships extending beyond local levels; leveraging and maximizing resources through existing public and private institutions and structures; developing need-focused interventions that address all faculties through which health and wellbeing is ensured; application of scientific principles and concepts in intervention designs; and feedback to inform implementation and scale up strategies that are expansive but also sustainable.
Conclusion: The lessons are transferrable across institutional and community-based initiatives, particularly in low- and middle-income country settings, to enhance sustainability, accessibility, and impact of cancer programs.
Citation Format: Lindonne Telesford, Shawn Charles, Sonia Nixon3, Owen Gabriel, Sherry-Ann Joseph, Caroline Noel, Calum Macpherson. Transferring Cancer Research to Implementation: Key Enabling Factors in Caribbean Settings [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 88.
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