About Education Program in Cancer Care

Education Program in Cancer Care The Education Program in Cancer Care is an initiative of Cancer Australia. Project Aims & Outcomes The aim of Education Program in Cancer Care (EPICC) is to improve the quality of cancer control particularly in rural and regional Australia by providing greater opportunities for interested registered medical practitioners to increase their expertise in cancer management. The objectives of EPICC are To enable interested registered medical practitioners, particularly those in regional and rural Australia who are not specialist oncologists, to acquire sufficient knowledge and skills to play a more active role in the delivery of quality, evidenced based cancer care. To develop modular learning packages in oncology to increase knowledge and skills of generalist medical practitioners in the management of cancer, including training regarding safety of chemotherapy administration and management of common complications of cancer treatments. The outcomes of EPICC are

1. Increased skills and expertise of registered medical practitioners in implementing evidence-based cancer risk reduction interventions;
   • Promoting and supporting patient participation in cancer screening programs;
   • Facilitating early diagnosis of cancer;
   • Providing appropriate referral and greater coordination of care;
   • Increased knowledge of evidence based cancer treatment options and clinical trial participation;
   • Increasing awareness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy toxicities and their management;
   • Provision of psychosocial support and appropriate referral;
   • Working in multidisciplinary teams.
2. Increased involvement of general practitioners in multidisciplinary care of cancer patients.
3. Greater provision of routine cancer care in rural areas by medical practitioners to reduce the need for patient travel to metropolitan centres for care.
4. Better educational opportunities for non-cancer specialist medical practitioners to improve skills in care coordination thereby increasing patient satisfaction.
5. Increased opportunities for general practitioners in cancer education and multidisciplinary care provision to increase practitioner confidence in providing cancer care.
6. Improved cancer care through coordination and education of medical practitioners in order to improve overall outcomes, especially in rural and remote areas of Australia.

Steering Committee

 

Working Group
 

 

*Also Steering Committee members.