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A B S T R A C T S
S109
letters of support from their administrators and initial goals.
Each participant team will develop a plan to integrate this
knowledge into their institution when they return home from
the conference. Nurses’ knowledge will be measured by pre-
and post-course tests developed by expert faculty. Course
evaluations will be conducted by participants and faculty.
Team evaluations will occur at 6, 12, and 18 months post
conference to measure goal achievement.
Results:
One-hundred oncology nurses will attend the
first course in July 2016, results of this novel program to be
presented at SIOG 2016 include: baseline demographics,
previous experience levels in geriatrics, and geriatric
knowledge pre- and post-course. Detailed course evaluation
results will be presented. The participants set goals to apply
the new knowledge in the workplace. Preliminary goals
suggest 3 main themes: patient evaluation, staff education,
and developing geriatric oncology teams. Faculty will evaluate
the course content and based on post course evaluations will
recommend improvements for following courses.
Conclusion:
We are launching a national curriculum in
geriatric oncology for oncology nurses, which could potentially
be portable to other settings and other countries.We will assess
the effectiveness of this curriculum by determining knowledge
gained, plans implemented, and thorough course evaluation.
References:
[1] Institute of Medicine. (2008). Retooling for an Aging
America: Building the Health Care Workforce. (2008, April
11). Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
[2] Institute of Medicine. (2010).The Future of Nursing: Focus on
Education. (2010, October). National Academy of Sciences.
Disclosure of interest:
None declared
Keywords:
Geriatric assessment, oncology nursing
P123
FACTORS INFLUENCING TREATMENT DECISIONS MADE BY
OLDER WOMEN WITH PRIMARY BREAST CANCER
P. Howard
1,
*, K. L. Cheung
2
, K. Cox
1
1
School of Health Science,
2
School of Medicine, University of
Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Introduction:
Although surgery remains the recommended
treatment for older women with primary breast cancer,
primary endocrine therapy (PET) offers a viable alternative
in terms of clinical outcome for oestrogen receptor positive
breast cancer. Choice of treatment is influenced by both
healthcare professional (HCP) preference and patient choice.
However it is currently unknown what factors influence and
facilitate older women’s breast cancer treatment decisions.
Objectives:
To prospectively explore factors that influence
the treatment decisions of this population, in order to increase
understanding and inform HCPs to provide decision making
support for this group.
Methods:
A longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted.
Semi-structured interviews were undertaken in older women
with primary breast cancer (stage I/II) who had been offered
either PET or surgical treatment. Data collection took place
at the time of diagnosis and six months after treatment.
Women’s experience of diagnosis and what factors they
considered when deciding treatment were explored. Second
generational Grounded Theory and descriptive statistics were
utilised to analyse the data.
Results:
Interviews with 31 women (aged 70-92 years) were
analysed. 15 women chose mastectomy, 10 decided upon
breast conserving surgery and 6 selected PET.
The following themes emerged at diagnosis and at six
months post treatment:
- Breast cancer is not such a big deal in older age: compared
to other traumatic life events, other health experiences
and co-morbidities. Although most women did not feel
ready to die there was an acceptance of mortality.
- Appraising the options & evidence: Older women
considered their ability to cope with treatment in relation
to co-morbidities, life stage and resources available.
Wishing to be involved in treatment decision making, older
women relied on the HCP to provide information as well as
drawing upon other people’s cancer experiences, providing
a frame of reference for decision making. Reflecting on
their treatment decisions these women considered that
they had made the right choice and did not regret the
treatment they had selected.
- Balancing the risks and benefits of treatment: Women
carefully weighed up the risk of premature mortality from
cancer against the need to preserve physical and social
functioning, minimising the impact of treatment. Only
treatment t taking unnecessary risks that may threaten
independence andminimised the risk of becoming a burden
on others during or after treatment. It was important that
the impact of treatment was minimal allowing the return
to normal living as quickly as possible, as an older person,
life was limited.
Conclusion:
Older women with primary breast cancer wish
to be involved in treatment decision making. These women
considered multiple physical and psychosocial factors when
deciding treatment. There is opportunity to develop decision
making interventions to assist older women to appraise their
treatment options and consider the risks of breast cancer
treatment to make an individualistic choice.
Disclosure of interest:
None declared
Keywords:
Primary breast cancer, older women, treatment
decision making
P124
CHEMOTHERAPY PRESCRIBING FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH
CANCER: A SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN ONCOLOGISTS
E. Moth
1
, B. E. Kiely
1
, V. Naganathan
2
, A. Martin
3
, P. Blinman
1,
*
1
Concord Cancer Centre,
2
Centre for Education and Research on
Ageing, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord,
3
NHMRC
Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Introduction:
Older adults with cancer consistently cite
their oncologist’s recommendation as a reason for having
chemotherapy.