Cancer patients are set to get improved access to radiation therapy as Monash University leads a new program across Australian universities to be implemented by the middle of next year.
The national program will help improve access to radiation treatments that could be delayed due to increasing demand from the ageing population.
Funded by the federal Department of Health and Ageing, the educational program aims to train radiation therapists to become advanced practitioners, to reduce the pressure on radiation oncologists, who prescribe radiation therapy.
The $777,000 grant is expected to allow radiation therapists to acquire a new set of clinical skills.
They can then do traditional medical tasks on behalf of the oncologist, thus generating a more efficient service.
Led by Caroline Wright and Kristie Matthews of the school of biomedical sciences at Monash, the program is being developed in collaboration with the University of Sydney, RMIT University, University of Newcastle, Queensland University of Technology, and the University of South Australia.
“What we are trying to achieve in the advanced practice roles is a method of restructuring the workforce to streamline the anticipated increase in demand,” said Matthews.
“The demand on radiation oncologists’ time is enormous and as radiation therapists, we see the impact even minor treatment delays can have on the patients’ health and well-being,” she said.
“We’ve seen a similar model developed in the UK to address these challenges and we know it works.”
