Description:
Adolescent and Young Adults (AYA) with cancer experience a high level of symptom burden, both physically and emotionally. Given their broad developmental range, AYA patients, aged 15 to 39 years, have unique and multiple needs that require specialized care from oncology, palliative, rehabilitation and mental health specialists. Globally, cancer treatment centres have developed specific AYA programs to address these needs. However, the question of the best method(s) to care for these patients, including the role of palliative care, remains unanswered. Despite the evidence base that recommends palliative care, most cancer centres do not include palliative support in standard oncological care for AYA patients. There is a paucity of research on the palliative and supportive care needs of AYA, and the extant literature demonstrates different needs and gaps compared with older cancer patients. Our team created a developmentally-focused, integrated palliative and psychiatric clinic dedicated to address the palliative and psychosocial care needs of AYA cancer patients and their caregivers. In this workshop, we will invite participants to consider the specific palliative care needs for this vulnerable population and brainstorm how their own centres and clinics might improve care for AYA locally. We will describe the findings from our clinic, discuss the development and current structure of this integrated palliative care/psychiatry clinic, and will present our outcome data
Presenter(s):     Dr. Mohamed Abdelaal & Dr. Pamela Mosher
Moderator:        Dr. Ebru Kaya