Abstract P5-15-16: Breast cancer survivor advocacy at the University of Wisconsin Breast Center
Authors: Mirrielees Jennifer A , Wilke Lee G , Breckheimer Kayla R , White Teresa A , DeNure Deborah A , Schroeder Michelle M , Tevaarwerk Amye J 
Published: May 2015

Peer-to-peer support programs provide unique psychosocial and educational support for breast cancer patients. With the support of funding from the South Central Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, we developed a Patient-Survivor Advocacy (PSA) program to complement University of Wisconsin Breast Center (UWBC) patient navigator to facilitate peer-to-peer support between those who have completed primary breast cancer treatment and those newly diagnosed patients. We evaluated the feasibility and utility of this peer-to-peer support program for both patients and advocates.

Methods:

We recruited advocates from the pool of women previously treated for breast cancer at UWBC. PSAs completed 3 training sessions over a 5 month period, including a volunteer orientation and the After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) program. Training topics included a patient survivor advocacy orientation, guidance for communication with patient matches, and documentation and reporting of patient contact to the UWBC patient navigator. Following training, PSAs were matched to patients based on age, type of breast cancer and other life factors identified as important by each referee. PSAs contacted matches via phone and documented communication frequency and content. PSAs and patients then completed surveys describing their experience and satisfaction with the PSA program. Survey questions were tailored to the program strengths, deficits, and areas for improvement. PSAs were also surveyed regarding curriculum and the training process.

Results:

Between 11/2012 and 4/2014, 14 PSAs were recruited and trained, and 40 patients were referred to the program. Half of patient referrals (20) were from UWBC physicians, while 18 were from UWBC nursing staff, in addition to 9 self-referrals (this includes overlapping referrals from multiple providers). Six decided not to participate, and one was transferred to hospice before being matched, while 8 patients were referred to the ABCD program due to lack of suitable UWBC PSA matches. Twenty six patients were successfully matched to active PSAs. The number of patients matched to each PSA ranged from 1 to 8; an average of 3 phone and 4 email contacts were made by each PSA-patient dyad. Communication topics included the effect of diagnosis and treatment on mood and mental health, physical health, daily life, and interpersonal relationships, as well as additional community resources for support. Patients and PSAs expressed positive impressions of the program: feeling supported by UWBC staff, experiencing a sense of accomplishment (PSAs) or direct benefit (patients). Responses suggested new topics for PSA training and cancer education, including surgical interventions, radiology, chemotherapy, integrative medicine, medical updates, and new topics in social support.

Conclusions:

The first year of the UWBC PSA program saw a successful peer-to-peer psychosocial support infrastructure for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. PSA and patient survey responses provided useful feedback critical to development of the program. Future goals for this program include increased patient utilization, provision of additional education topics and materials during PSA training, and documentation of the impact of PSA program support on the UWBC nursing burden.

Citation Format: Jennifer A Mirrielees, Lee G Wilke, Kayla R Breckheimer, Teresa A White, Deborah A DeNure, Michelle M Schroeder, Amye J Tevaarwerk. Breast cancer survivor advocacy at the University of Wisconsin Breast Center [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-15-16.