Project 465748

Despite there being a wealth of evidence that exercise therapy is beneficial for cancer patients, our provincial Cancer Care Program does not offer sustainable exercise programming tailored for patients living with cancer. To move knowledge into care, we are investing in this Post-Doctoral Fellowship to build a policy framework to incorporate exercise programming into the standard of care for Nova Scotians living with a cancer diagnosis. To tailor this approach, we have identified three objectives that will supplement the policy framework. The first pillar addresses how accessible the programs might be to diverse audiences, including marginalized communities such as Indigenous peoples. This portion will consider variables such as geographic limits, access to telehealth, caregiver potential, and perceived safety from patients and practitioners. Meeting this first objective will inform us about the feasibility and current interest in such programming. The second pillar is to accurately estimate the financial investment needed to provide sustainable exercise programming, as well as financial savings in the longer term. Meeting this second objective will help our Cancer Care Program estimate necessary resources and secure future funding opportunities. Thirdly, we plan to investigate how frailty assessment can improve patient centered care for cancer patients. Specifically, we will modify current frailty assessment tools (i.e., a Frailty Index) to better suit a cancer patient population and explore how this improves our ability to recommend exercise therapy. Early evidence suggests this is a promising way to triage patients to exercise therapy, so we are investigating further in practice. This endeavor will finish by developing a policy framework alongside supporting members of the Cancer Care Program to guide a future policy incorporating exercise therapy as a standard of care for cancer patients in Nova Scotia.