Eliciting Educational Perspectives of Oncological Patients, Caregivers & Clinicians in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic

About us

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid implementation of virtual visits, making it challenging to provide patient education in the traditional way. It is also likely that virtual care will continue beyond the pandemic. Therefore, we require an efficient and effective channel to provide patients with information about the diagnosis, treatment, and medication-related complications when in-person education is not an option.

Background

Despite all the advancements, cancer can have devastating effects on different aspects of the patient’s life. Regardless of increased survival rates, they may have poor quality-of-life due to various physical incapacities and mental health challenges due to their disease-related complications—existing data links patients’ health literacy on different aspects of their disease processes and better outcomes. Most recently, sudden implementation of virtual care during the current pandemic may have compromised the delivery or the effectiveness of patients’ education. In response to these challenges, the Cancer Education Department at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) has launched a new educational digital tool through which clinicians can tailor and email the educational materials to cancer patients. The study is proposed to elicit the patient educational preferences regarding current suboptimal use and delivery of educational materials to cancer patients. We aim to explore the barriers and gaps of underutilization of Digital Education Prescription (DEP) and ensure its suitability to the patients, caregivers, and clinicians to improve patients’ health literacy during the treatment journey.

Team members

Shayan Bashir

Clinical assistant at Kennedy Medical Clinic Brampton

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Dr. Mohammad Al-Katari

Clinical Fellow Physician in Hematology

My name is Mohammad Sami Al-Katari, a clinical Fellow in Hematology at UHN - Princess Margaret Hospital since July 1st 2016, completed successfully 2 years Clinical Fellowship in Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant from July 2016 till June 2018 and I am currently doing another Clinical Fellowship in Leukemia / Lymphoma & Myeloma, which will be completed by end of June 2020. I am very glad and excited joining the TRP as I do believe that it is the right program to enhance my skills as a clinician to translate our many theoretical research ideas into a real medical service or tool benefiting the patients in the field of malignant hematology.

Dr. Shazmeen Shahed

Clinical Researcher Michael Garron Hospital

Growing up across three countries in the Middle East and South Asia was an enriching experience. As a multi-linguist, to obtain exposure to a country teeming with culture and the opportunity to add yet another language to my repertoire, I chose to pursue medical school in China. To apply the skills learnt during medical school to a different setting, I chose to practice medicine in my country of origin, India. During this period, to expand my understanding of health care delivery in the global domain, I learnt from physicians in the U.S. at Mount Sinai Heart, NY and MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston. I moved to Canada soon after to reunite with family in Toronto. I took up clinical research in medicine and cardiology to understand the healthcare system better while taking exams to get licensed in Canada.