Summary
A primary support person or carer is someone chosen by a person with advanced cancer to provide physical, social, or emotional support. This person does not have to be a family member or partner. In this study, the patient and their primary support person or carer are referred to as a "dyad".
FOCUS is a program originally developed in the USA to help people with advanced cancer and their carers. Research has shown it can improve wellbeing and quality of life. The program has five key areas, represented by the letters in FOCUS:
- F - Family involvement
- O - Outlook and meaning
- C - Coping effectiveness
- U - Uncertainty reduction
- S - Symptom management
The goal of this study is to see how effective and sustainable the digital version of FOCUS (called FOCUSau) is at improving the wellbeing and confidence of patients with advanced cancer and their primary support person or carer.
What participation invovles
Eligible dyads will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: FOCUSau + usual care, or usual care only. Usual care may include support from specialists, doctors, nurses or other health care progessionals that patients usually engage with.
Dyads in the FOCUSau group will complete four online sessions over a period of 12 weeks. Each session is completed together at a computer and can be done at any time within the 12-week period.
The program provides personalised messages based on the information you provide at the start and during the session. Dyads receive an online workbook with the results of interactive exercises completed in the sessions, and links to evidence-based information and local resources relevant to advanced cancer.
For more information about the project, including how to self-refer, please visit https://medicine.unimelb.edu.au/focusau