Cancer Prevention Among Individuals with Mental Ill-health: Patient Navigation for Primary Cancer Prevention

Prevention is essential for reducing cancer-related mortality. However, people with mental ill-health often face difficulties in accessing cancer prevention services. The EU-funded CO-CAPTAIN project aims to co-adapt and implement the Patient Navigation Model for primary cancer prevention in this underserved population. This evidence-based and patient-centred intervention aims to support patient empowerment through removal of systemic barriers, provide social support and promote timely access to primary prevention services.

Cancer and mental ill-health constitute leading public health problems in Europe. More than 84 million people in the European Union (EU) report living with an on-going mental ill-health condition. While issues concerning mental health are of great importance, they often overshadow physical problems that people with mental ill-health face. Such is cancer, which is more prevalent in people with mental ill-health and is also the second most common cause of death in this population. People with mental ill-health often have difficulties in accessing quality cancer prevention services, but are also additionally overlooked in research which makes them overall an underserved population. What data is available, shows that potential reasons for these higher cancer morbidity and mortality rates are linked to more engagement in risky health behaviour (especially higher prevalence of smoking as well as overweight and obesity) but also experiences of significant barriers when accessing the highly fragmented heath care systems.

Timely and evidence-based preventive strategies including optimizing health care pathways provide a solution to the high cancer morbidity and could improve overall health outcomes in this disadvantaged population. One such mixed-skill strategy is Patient Navigation. Therefore, the overall goal of the CO-CAPTAIN project is to co-adapt the Patient Navigation (PN) model focusing on primary cancer prevention and to see if this model can prove to be beneficial in supporting individuals with mental ill-health through care services to reduce cancer risk factors by increasing knowledge, health literacy and empowerment. The Patient Navigation Model is an innovative, evidence-based and patient-centred intervention, which supports patient empowerment through removal of systemic barriers, providing social support and promoting timely access to primary prevention services. Based on implementation science and utilizing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation (CFIR) as well as the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) frameworks, the CO-CAPTAIN project aims to reduce the gap in health inequalities for people with mental ill-health by reducing cancer burden and improving overall health, which will, in turn, reduce associated costs across health and social care systems in Europe. Moreover, the CO-CAPTAIN project aims to harness the transformative potential of the integrated care pathways in cancer as well as provide health and social care policy recommendations for the adoption and implementation of the Patient Navigation Model across Europe.

The adapted Patient Navigation Model will be implemented in four European countries (Austria, Greece, Poland, Spain) and its potential to enable and improve access and utilization of primary cancer prevention measures for people with mental ill-health will be evaluated. The study will employ a mixed-methods design allowing for both exploratory and confirmatory research.

The project has been funded by the HORIZON EUROPE Framework Program (Call: Research and Innovation actions supporting the implementation of the Mission on Cancer (HORIZON-MISS-2022-CANCER-01-01) - Improving and upscaling primary prevention of cancer through implementation research) and is coordinated by the Medical University of Vienna.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 years of age or older
* Individuals who have been diagnosed with one or more mental disorders OR healthcare professionals involved in care of individuals with mental ill-health
* Sufficient knowledge of language

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals unable to give consent due to diminished capacity
* Individuals who do not provide consent