PanSupport: a community model of cancer supportive care provision

This study aimed to describe the type and extent of supportive care interventions provided by PanSupport, a community-based telehealth service providing supportive care for people impacted by upper gastrointestinal cancer in Australia.

A qualitative research design employing thematic and content analysis of written data was used to categorise and describe interactions with 30 patients and 10 carers during a 3-month period in 2023. Purposive sampling to obtain information-rich interactions was employed.

PanSupport undertakes a variety of activities that support patients and carers in the community. The activities are supported by the literature on cancer supportive care. The approaches, categories and definitions of care described in this telehealth model are consistent with the breadth of services provided to patients in non-telehealth/hospital-based models of care.

The community-based telehealth model of supportive care described provides care consistent with service provision across the traditional multidisciplinary cancer care spectrum. This paper outlines the expertise and interventions such a model can provide and offers a foundation for further refinements and developments.