Collaborative network to take responsibility for oral anticancer therapy (CONTACT): Study-protocol investigating the impact of a care pathway.

AIM

To evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility, meaningfulness and appropriateness of the development and implementation of a transmural care pathway in four hospitals in Flanders to improve self-management support in healthcare professionals and self-management in patients treated with oral anticancer drugs.

DESIGN

A multicentre, prospective, interventional before-after study.

METHOD

The development and implementation of the care pathway is based on the 7-phase method by Vanhaecht et al. (2012). Before and after, the care process will be evaluated from the perspective of patients, healthcare professionals in the hospital and from primary care and the available evidence. In both study-parts, a mixed methods approach will be used including observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and validated questionnaires for outcome assessments. The primary outcome is self-management in patients and self-efficacy and perception towards self-management in healthcare professionals. This study was funded in October 2015 and has been approved by the Ethics Committee in June 2016.

DISCUSSION

Due to the growing number of patients taking oral anticancer drugs, there is need for a rigorous study that aims to optimize self-management in patients and self-management support provided by an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals (including oncology nurses and clinical nurse specialists). The care pathway should therefore consist of effective self-management supporting interventions and should clearly define the role of all stakeholders.

IMPACT

This study attempts to obtain standardization, uniformity and continuity of self-management support provided by healthcare professionals to patients on oral anticancer drugs with the aim to achieve an adequate level of self-management.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov NCT02861209.