Abstract
Introduction: Gynaecological cancer (GC) is the second most common cancer worldwide.1 While incidence is rising, advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment mean more women with GC now live longer lives. Cancer rehabilitation has been recommended for people treated for cancer to facilitate their recovery. Women treated for GC report a strong desire for supportive care to motivate them to make the changes necessary to reduce their risk and promote their health post-treatment.2 However, no structured rehabilitation and supportive programme tailored for women treated for GC is available.
Methods: A multimodal cancer rehabilitation programme (MRCI) was developed based on Level I-II evidence and the Salutogenic Model. The central concept of the model is sense of coherence (SOC) which refers to the capacity to cope with life stressors and thereby promote health and well-being. SOC can be strengthened through life experiences and by mobilising specific and generalised resistance resources such as self-efficacy, knowledge, and social support.3 Empowerment and reflection are two effective strategies to enhance SOC.4
Results: The MRCI is a 12-week programme encompassing two major components. The first component is a culturally adapted version of Women’s Wellness after Cancer Programme (WWACP) which is an evidence-based whole-of-lifestyle health promotion programme, originally developed in Australia, to provide informational and psychological support for women treated for cancer.5 The culturally adapted WWACP (WWACPHK) was constructed as a mobile application with 30 modules covering topics regarding healthy lifestyles and rehabilitation, one module posted every day in the first 3 weeks, and then weekly for the following 9 weeks. The second component includes three individual telephone counselling sessions delivered by a research nurse at Weeks 1, 6 and 12 to combat stressors, including unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, side effect of treatments, risk of cancer recurrence and other chronic conditions. Instant messaging function is installed within the application.
Conclusions: This study has developed an evidence-based structured rehabilitation for women treated for GC to address their supportive care needs and has potential to improve SOC, alleviate cancer-specific distress, motivate healthy lifestyle changes and improve health-related quality of life among women treated for GC. Its acceptability and effectiveness should be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.
Notes
References:
1. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): World Health Organisation [Internet]. Cancer Today; 2024 [cited 28 Aug 2024]. Available from: https://gco.iarc.who.int/today/en
2. Kuhn KG, Boesen E, Ross L, Johansen C. Evaluation and outcome of behavioural changes in the rehabilitation of cancer patients: A review. Eur J Cancer. 2005;41:216-24.
3. Sullivan GC. Evaluating Antonovsky's Salutogenic Model for its adaptability to nursing. J Adv Nurs. 1989;14:336-42.
4. Super S, Wagemakers MAE, Picavet HSJ, Verkooijen KT, Koelen MA. Strengthening sense of coherence: Opportunities for theory building in health promotion. Health Promot Int. 2016;31:869-78.
5. Seib C, McCarthy A, McGuire A, Porter-Steele J, Balaam S, Anderson D. Promoting healthy lifestyle changes to improve health-related quality of life in women after cancer: Results from the Australian Women's Wellness After Cancer Program (WWACP). Maturitas. 2019;124:149.
Sigma Membership
Pi Iota at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Transition to Practice, Onboarding, Sustainable Development Goals, Long-term Care, Cancer Rehabilitation
Recommended Citation
Chow, Ka Ming; Chan, Carmen W. H.; McCarthy, Alexandra; Zhu, Jiemin; Choi, Kai Chow; and Leung, Alice W. Y., "Development of a Cancer Rehabilitation Programme for Women Treated for Gynecological Cancer" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 25.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/25
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Development of a Cancer Rehabilitation Programme for Women Treated for Gynecological Cancer
Seattle, Washington, USA
Introduction: Gynaecological cancer (GC) is the second most common cancer worldwide.1 While incidence is rising, advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment mean more women with GC now live longer lives. Cancer rehabilitation has been recommended for people treated for cancer to facilitate their recovery. Women treated for GC report a strong desire for supportive care to motivate them to make the changes necessary to reduce their risk and promote their health post-treatment.2 However, no structured rehabilitation and supportive programme tailored for women treated for GC is available.
Methods: A multimodal cancer rehabilitation programme (MRCI) was developed based on Level I-II evidence and the Salutogenic Model. The central concept of the model is sense of coherence (SOC) which refers to the capacity to cope with life stressors and thereby promote health and well-being. SOC can be strengthened through life experiences and by mobilising specific and generalised resistance resources such as self-efficacy, knowledge, and social support.3 Empowerment and reflection are two effective strategies to enhance SOC.4
Results: The MRCI is a 12-week programme encompassing two major components. The first component is a culturally adapted version of Women’s Wellness after Cancer Programme (WWACP) which is an evidence-based whole-of-lifestyle health promotion programme, originally developed in Australia, to provide informational and psychological support for women treated for cancer.5 The culturally adapted WWACP (WWACPHK) was constructed as a mobile application with 30 modules covering topics regarding healthy lifestyles and rehabilitation, one module posted every day in the first 3 weeks, and then weekly for the following 9 weeks. The second component includes three individual telephone counselling sessions delivered by a research nurse at Weeks 1, 6 and 12 to combat stressors, including unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, side effect of treatments, risk of cancer recurrence and other chronic conditions. Instant messaging function is installed within the application.
Conclusions: This study has developed an evidence-based structured rehabilitation for women treated for GC to address their supportive care needs and has potential to improve SOC, alleviate cancer-specific distress, motivate healthy lifestyle changes and improve health-related quality of life among women treated for GC. Its acceptability and effectiveness should be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.
Description
A 12-week evidence-based, theory-driven multimodal cancer rehabilitation programme tailored for women treated for gynaecological cancer was developed, with a mobile application covering topics regarding healthy lifestyles and rehabilitation and three counselling sessions, to facilitate recovery by motivating them to adopt life-style changes for reducing risk of developing chronic conditions and promoting health post-treatment.