Call for participants for a cancer communication and care research project!

 

Call for Participants 

Have you been diagnosed with cancer? 

Have you been a carer for a person with cancer? or, 

Are you an Oncology specialist, trainee or nurse?

Do you have a story to share?

We want you to take part in a university research project! We are looking for participants who are willing to share and discuss their cancer experience.

• If you are/were diagnosed with cancer, we would like to hear what your communication experience was like with your carer and oncology professional when you went through treatment. You will need to be 18 years or above. 
• If you are/were a person who cared for a person with cancer (parent, partner, family member or a friend), we would like to hear your communication experience with the patient and the health professional.  
• If you are an Oncology specialist, trainee or nurse, we would like to hear your communication experience with your patient and their carer.  

The research project will consist of individual interviews with each participant. 

What is this research about?

This research aims to examine the communication experiences of people diagnosed with cancer, Oncology specialist, trainee or nurses and carers during the course of the cancer treatment stage. The purpose of this project is to enhance patient-centred communication and improve quality care for the person diagnosed with cancer during the treatment stage. 

Information gathered from the interviews will provide valuable insight into cancer communication and care during the course of the treatment stage, something that is largely missing from existing studies. This may be used to inform future policy, develop supporting tool-kits and strategies that would enable person's diagnosed with cancer, carers of a person with cancer and Oncology specialists, trainees or nurses to assist in managing an effective communication to improve quality care for the person diagnosed with cancer during the treatment stage. 

About the researcher

Shara decided to become a cancer care and communication researcher based on her own experience of being diagnosed with cancer. While she was in remission, she was a carer for her grandfather who got diagnosed with cancer. 

Today, she is a mother of three little ones, a lecturer and a PhD student. Juggling multiple things is in her natural nature. She started to conduct interviews late last year however because of the newborn she had to take a break. She is now continuing with her interviews and plans to meet her target by mid this year.  

Her professional expertise is in the area of marketing, management and communication. She has worked in the Advertising Industry before becoming an academic. 

Her PhD is very personal to her and is a direction towards her ambition to support the cancer community.

How to engage with the research

When - Interviews will run till August 2021 at a time that suits you. 

Where - At a venue that is convenient to the participant or virtual. 

How long - Each interview will run for 30 - 90 minutes. An audio recording of the interview will be done with the participant’s consent. 

Privacy  - Only the researcher will have access to the individual information provided by participants. Privacy and confidentiality will be assured at all times. 

Effect of your participation - Your participation will support the cancer community and cancer patient care for improvement, engagement, research, and data infrastructure. 

To book an interview or for further information, contact the researcher: Shara Ranasinghe on Shara.Ranasinghe@canberra.edu.au or 0425065658.  

This project has been approved by the University of Canberra's Human Research Ethics Committee Project 17 - 145 - “Enhancing patient-centred cancer communication during cancer treatment
HumanEthicsCommittee@canberra.edu.au

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