Virtual cancer care made easier: Resources to help you feel more confident

Focusing on person-centred care: Dr Ambreen Sayani

[The video opens with Dr Ambreen Sayani sitting in a chair and speaking to the camera. She is wearing a yellow daffodil pin to show support for the Canadian Cancer Society. Her name and title are shown on screen in a yellow box.]

Dr Ambreen Sayani: My name is Ambreen Sayani, and I'm a scientist at Women's College Hospital, and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

[Dr Sayani and Dr Paul Wankah, an assistant professor at McGill University, walk up a staircase at Women’s College Hospital together. The words “Research Approach and Focus” are shown on screen in a white box.]

Dr Sayani: I lead a lab called the Improving Cancer Care Equity Lab. And the focus of our work is to improve the way in which people access care so that they have the right treatment, at the right time, in a way that meets their needs and priorities.

[Dr Sayani is sitting in a chair and speaking to the camera again.]

Dr Sayani: Our real aim was to listen and learn, and understand what works well in virtual cancer care, what isn't working so well, and what needs to change. We essentially wanted to immerse ourselves in the everyday experience of receiving and delivering virtual cancer care.

[As Dr Sayani speaks, the words “Framework for Inclusive Care” appear on screen in a white box.]

Dr Sayani: For this research, essentially we focused our work off two frameworks. One was a person-centred care framework. Essentially what that's about is we need to create care or understand what our patients’ priorities are when they're accessing care. How can we make it more inclusive and responsive to their needs? But create a relationship of respect, so that patients feel valued, but also the providers when providing that care.

[Dr Sayani and Dr Wankah walk together down a hallway, chatting and smiling as they walk. Then the camera returns to Dr Sayani sitting and speaking once again.]

Dr Sayani: And the second framework was something called the synergies of oppression. And the way that is constructed is the idea that who you are, where you live, the resources that you have access to, ultimately determine your experiences of care, but not in an additive way. It's actually synergistic. So they can determine to much detriment, the ways in which people are receiving care.

[As Dr Sayani speaks, the words “Resources Shaped by Patient Voices” appear on screen in a white box.]

Dr Sayani: So if we can speak to people who are experiencing the most exclusion or experiencing the most inequities, and then create person-centred cancer care from that lens, we're essentially creating inclusive care for all.

[The previous scene continues, with Dr Sayani sitting and speaking. The camera occasionally zooms in closer on her face and back out again.]

Dr Sayani: For myself, I think these virtual care resources embody for us as healthcare providers, what it means to listen and learn from the patient. Listening and learning from patients about what their priorities are, what would person-centred care look like from their perspective? And then having tools and resources available to upskill or to learn from so that I can provide better care or so that other providers can do better care.

[A sign with the words “WCRI Scientists” is shown on a door. Dr Sayani opens her laptop as the words “Access and Impact of Resources” appear on screen in a white box. Dr Sayani and Dr Wankah smile as they look at information on the laptop screen together.]

Dr Sayani: I hear very often from patients who I work with that the best ways in which they like to receive information is through short videos or through checklists. And this resource hub does just that.

[Dr Sayani scrolls through the virtual care resource hub on the Canadian Cancer Society’s website.]

Dr Sayani: It addresses key issues that were identified by patients, and provides resources and tools in the formats that patients have identified as their priority to receive that information. I think for healthcare providers, these resources are super helpful because healthcare providers do want to provide a good care experience.

[Animation from the virtual care resource hub on cancer.ca is shown on screen. This particular page directs healthcare providers to resources that can help them prepare for virtual care appointments and best support people living with cancer and their caregivers. The page shows characters from the virtual cancer care videos waving to one another, as well as a link to videos and tips.]

Dr Sayani: These videos and formats are easily accessible, and respond to care gaps that they felt they needed to fill in in order to have a good virtual care experience for the patient.

[The video closes with a final shot of Dr Sayani standing and smiling softly at the camera.]

Dr Sayani: If you're starting your virtual cancer care journey, it's a good idea to understand what tools and resources are available to you, so that you can have a good care experience.

[The Canadian Cancer Society’s name and logo appear on screen along with the words “It takes a society,” the phone number 1-888-939-3333 and the URL cancer.ca/virtualcare. Merck’s name and logo also appear near the bottom of the screen. Small text below the Merck name and logo reads, “Made possible through the support of Merck Canada Inc. The opinions expressed are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Merck Canada Inc.”]

Learning from patient experience: Dr Paul Wankah

[The video opens with a close-up shot of Dr Paul Wankah speaking. He is a Black man wearing a collared shirt and glasses.]

Dr Paul Wankah: My name is Paul Wankah and I am an assistant professor at McGill University, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences.

[The camera zooms out, but continues to show Dr Wankah speaking. His name and title are shown on the screen in a yellow box as he begins to explain his research.]

Dr Wankah: I am a health services and policy researcher that focuses on understanding how the health system works, in order to identify what the gaps are and how we can improve it for everyone. What we did is, we carried out six focus groups across the ten Canadian provinces.

[As Dr Wankah is speaking, the words “Community Experiences in Cancer Care” appear on screen in a white box.]

Dr Wankah: We were talking with older Black people living with cancer, their caregivers, and also the healthcare professionals that supported them during their journey. Mostly focusing on how they experienced the cancer care experience with the virtual technologies.

[Dr Wankah and Dr Ambreen Sayani, a scientist at Women’s College Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, walk up a staircase at the hospital together. They walk down a hallway, smiling and talking to each other.]

Dr Wankah: We really focused on listening to our respondents. We banked on experiential knowledge in order to understand how they navigated their journey across the system, what they found difficult, and what they found was working for them. This helped us to better understand their lived experience and also to find ways in which we can improve it for them.

[Dr Wankah is shown once again sitting in a chair and speaking. As he speaks, the words “Research Leadership and Representation” appear on screen in a white box.]

Dr Wankah: We were able to connect in a different kind of way. They were able to open up, and maybe share things that they found much more difficult to share with people who are not from our own community. It was a really, really great experience.

[Dr Wankah and Dr Sayani continue talking to each other and walking down the hall. They walk past a Women’s College Hospital sign on the wall.]

Dr Wankah: For most of them, it was the first time actually participating in research that was led by a Black researcher. For me, it was really gratifying to be able to listen and also relate to their experiences, and bring my own humble contribution.

[Dr Wankah is sitting and speaking to the camera once again. The words “Virtual Cancer Care Resources and Impact” appear on screen in a white box as he is speaking. He is then shown scrolling through the virtual care resource hub on the Canadian Cancer Society’s website.]

Dr Wankah: I'm really hopeful that when the patients, caregivers, and also the healthcare providers access resources on the Canadian Cancer Society's website, it would really facilitate and actually break down some of the barriers they are facing.

[Dr Wankah is sitting and speaking to the camera again.]

Dr Wankah: When you look at these resources, they were really simple and user friendly, and the messaging was really clear. What I really liked was especially when you are thinking about the virtual care journey, there is the before, during, and after the virtual care encounter.

[A page from the virtual care resource hub on cancer.ca appears on screen. It shows tips for people living with cancer and caregivers.]

Dr Wankah: The resources actually give some ideas about how to prepare for the virtual care encounter, testing your technology, making sure that you have available internet.

[Dr Wankah and Dr Sayani look at information on the computer screen together. Then the video closes with a final shot of Dr Wankah standing and smiling softly at the camera.]

Dr Wankah: I think this is going to help people to be really prepared in order to have a very effective virtual encounter. And this is really going to improve the way they utilize the virtual care technologies.

[The Canadian Cancer Society’s name and logo appear on screen along with the words “It takes a society,” the phone number 1-888-939-3333 and the URL cancer.ca/virtualcare. Merck’s name and logo also appear near the bottom of the screen. Small text below the Merck name and logo reads, “Made possible through the support of Merck Canada Inc. The opinions expressed are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Merck Canada Inc.”]

Cancer advocate: John Zeus Tokatlidis

[The video opens with John Zeus Tokatlidis sitting on a couch and speaking to the camera. He is wearing a yellow daffodil pin to show support for the Canadian Cancer Society. His name and the the words "Cancer Advocate" are shown on screen in a yellow box.]

John Zeus Tokatlidis: My name is John Zeus Tokatlidis. I'm a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2019 and I'm currently living vibrantly.

[John Zeus is sitting at a desk looking at a laptop screen.]

John Zeus: Virtual care was a new thing during the pandemic.

[The previous scene continues, with John Zeus sitting on a couch and speaking.]

John Zeus: So one of my greatest fears was that I wouldn't be cared (for) enough. That my doctor doesn't care enough. Why do I have to have a virtual care appointment? How are they going to know how I'm feeling? All these questions ran through my head.

[The camera zooms in on John Zeus typing on a laptop and scrolling through the virtual care resource hub on the Canadian Cancer Society’s website.]

John Zeus: I could stay at home. I could prepare a list of questions and I can sit comfortably in a well-lit room and talk to my oncologist or my psycho-oncologist.

[John Zeus is sitting on a couch and speaking to the camera again.]

John Zeus: Certain knowledge, the education that's provided could help transform somebody's life in terms of doing better nutrition, stress exercises.

[John Zeus returns to scrolling through the virtual care resource hub on the Canadian Cancer Society’s website.]

John Zeus: Resources on taking notes, resources on asking questions and what questions do I need to ask my care team?

[John Zeus is once again sitting on a couch and speaking.]

John Zeus: And there’s wonderful resources out there that we can utilize too to help us, and help us thrive and lead a more healthier life.

[“Learn more at cancer.ca/virtualcare” appears on screen. Then the Canadian Cancer Society’s name and logo appear along with the words “It takes a society,” the phone number 1-888-939-3333 and the URL cancer.ca/virtualcare. Merck’s name and logo also appear near the bottom of the screen. Small text below the Merck name and logo reads, “Made possible through the support of Merck Canada Inc. The opinions expressed are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Merck Canada Inc.”]