New study to shed light on training for integrative oncology therapies
12/10/2014
Last month, a pilot study looking at integrative oncology training for patient navigators was launched by Dr. Matthew P. Mumber and Heather Reed, Emory University; Joel Siebentritt, Athens Regional; Karen Beard, the Georgia Society for Clinical Oncology (GASCO); Georgia CORE; and the Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia. Participants include nurses, promotoras, social workers, community health workers and therapists from Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Cumming, Dalton, Decatur, Gainesville, LaGrange, Lithonia, Marietta, Rome and Thomasville. The purpose of this pilot program is to quantify the impact and effectiveness of mixed method educational programs on the change in knowledge and attitudinal beliefs of patient navigators about integrative oncology.
“We want to determine how training with different modalities can impact how often navigators may recommend these therapies to their patients,” said Georgia CORE vice president Angie Patterson. “Though web-based training is very convenient, we hope to show that live, experiential training is the most effective for navigators to truly understand how these therapies may, or may not, help their patients.”
Of the more than 30 navigators that applied to participate in the study, 12 participants were randomly selected to attend a two-day retreat Nov. 14 - 16 where they gained hands-on experience that will complement subsequent online training. An additional 12 participants were selected to receive the online training only.
There was no fee for the participants, in that the study is being paid for by a Georgia Research Alliance funded gift from Dr. Mumber, a radiation oncologist at the Harbin Clinic in Rome, Ga. and pioneer in integrative oncology. Another $5,000 was contributed by GASCO. More than 10 months in the planning, the study was developed by Patterson and Georgia CORE’s Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist Alice Kerber, MN, APRN, ACNS-BC, AOCN, APNG.
The study is looking at various integrative therapies, including yoga, massage therapy, art therapy, and “the Labyrinth” – a technique that involves sending a patient on a path, in this case a big, open circle, allowing the patient to clear her or his mind and to become introspective. “It’s another form of meditation that is very intentional,” said Kerber. “Unlike mazes, which can confuse and cause people to lose their way, a labyrinth helps patients find their way.”
All participants will have online training December through February 2015. Results are expected to be analyzed and shared by April 2015. Patterson and Kerber said that they hope this will be the impetus for more funding to provide experiential training in integrative oncology therapies for all of Georgia’s cancer patient navigators.