To improve the care and experience of older people with cancer across Australia, an Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) is now available to ensure older patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place. The OCP is a framework for the delivery of consistent, safe, high-quality, and evidence-based care for older people with cancer, covering every step from prevention and early detection through to recovery, living with a chronic disease, or end-of-life-care.

The vast majority of people diagnosed and living with cancer in Australia are older adults. Despite this, till now there has been no standardised care pathway for older people with cancer that integrates the key geriatric oncology principles that are essential for understanding and providing the optimal care for this patient population.

The OCP for older adults with cancer provides a framework to deliver tailored, person-centred care and improve equity and outcomes at a systemic level.

The OCP was developed by COSA with funding from Cancer Australia.

OCP
Working Group

Professor Meera Agar and A/Professor Christopher Steer led the OCP development co-chairing and guiding a multidisciplinary expert working group comprising national leaders in cancer care –including members of the COSA Geriatric Oncology Group Executive – and consumer representatives.

The OCP maps the journey for an older person with cancer in Australia, identifying the specific steps and critical points along the care pathway in order to promote high-quality, evidence-based cancer care, and to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

> Optimal care pathway for older people with cancer
> Quick reference guide

OCP Working Group

The working group mapped the cancer journey for older adults using the National OCP Framework comprising seven key steps which outline nationally-agreed best practice to achieve safe and quality cancer care; and seven key principles which are central to the delivery of quality care and are the right of all patients.

The OCP was also designed around the 4Ms framework of Age-Friendly Care: What Matters, Medication, Mentation (Mind and Mood) and Mobility.

Underpinning Principles

A clinical Optimal Care Pathway for older people with cancer and a Quick Reference Guide were developed for health professionals which:

    • outline critical care steps, including geriatric assessment at diagnosis, individualised treatment planning, and supportive care integration
    • complement clinical guidelines emphasising collaborative, age-friendly, person-centred care and the importance of adequate assessment
    • support healthcare providers in delivering tailored, high-quality care that considers the broader context of an older person’s life, including their support systems and personal priorities
    • explicitly address ageism by prioritising functional status and patient preferences over chronological age.

A Guide to best cancer care was also developed to help older people with cancer and their carers, family and friends understand the optimal care that should be provided at each step. This consumer guide is available in 11 languages, downloadable as a PDF or in audio recordings.

> Consumer guides
> Optimal care pathway for older people with cancer
> Quick reference guide

OCP Health Professional And Consumer