Virtualizing survivorship: Implementing a more timely and comprehensive model of follow-up care

Prostate and breast cancer are the most common cancers in Canadian men and women. Early diagnosis and effective treatment have increased survival rates However, cancer survivors are often left with unwanted physical and functional effects after treatment, as well as psychosocial and mental health challenges that decrease their quality of life. Recently, "virtual" cancer care has gained attention. Virtual cancer care models use technology to deliver personalized survivorship care to patients who are at low risk of recurrence. Building on the success of these virtual models, our research group was awarded a CCS/CIHR Innovation Grant in August 2018 to design, develop, and implement three virtual prostate cancer clinics - called the Ned Virtual Clinics - across Ontario to address survivor needs at scale, reduce the burden of care, improve the survivorship experience, and increase quality of life. We want to improve our current Ned Virtual Clinics and their impact on Canadian survivorship outcomes through completing five new projects: (1) spread our current virtual prostate cancer clinic model to two new sites in Halifax and Calgary; (2) develop and validate an algorithm to personalize prostate cancer care; (3) introduce a new Ned Nurse to review survivorship outcomes, triage patients to appropriate care providers and services, and provide care in between/in place of scheduled virtual visits; (4) adapt this virtual prostate cancer survivorship model to inform the concept and service design of a virtual breast cancer clinic, and (5) explore new models of funding in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Alberta for virtual survivorship services.