Austin Health: CALD Cancer Services - Research.

Project Overview

Austin Health enlisted LOTE to conduct a survey aimed at understanding the experiences and interactions of cancer patients with supportive care services and health management. Focusing on Arabic, Chinese, and Greek-speaking communities, LOTE's task was to recruit participants who had recently received a cancer diagnosis and were undergoing treatment. The goal was to gather insights that would drive improvements in service delivery at Austin Health. LOTE's responsibilities encompassed recruiting fifty participants from each community and providing necessary support to ensure the timely and accurate completion of surveys. The findings would then inform the development of resources and services tailored to better support these communities in their cancer care.

Our services

LOTE worked with its network of Arabic, Chinese and Greek-speaking contacts, as well as creating targeted social media advertisements and successfully recruited fifty participants from each community.

• Ethics approval: LOTE secured all necessary ethics approvals,

laying the groundwork for a project committed to ethical standards.

• Rapid recruitment strategy: LOTE implemented an efficient

recruitment model, leveraging its extensive network within Arabic, Chinese, and Greek-speaking communities. In addition, targeted social media campaigns were launched, creating distinctive assets to attract potential participants. This two-fold strategy successfully secured fifty participants from each linguistic group in a remarkably short timeframe.

• Sensitive approach to research: with acute awareness of cultural

sensitivities and recent cancer diagnoses in this demographic, LOTE conducted the research with paramount care. We supported participants, ensuring a smooth, comfortable, and accurate survey completion process.

• Welfare of participants: LOTE went beyond mere research

management. We took measures to ensure the welfare of every participant, reimbursing them fairly for their invaluable contributions, underscoring our commitment to ethical and fair research practices.

• Feedback and data synthesis: post-collection, the raw data

underwent rigorous analysis. This provided Austin Health with actionable insights, poised to shape their service refinement strategies for these specific linguistic communities.

Demonstrated experience

LOTE's competence in this initiative underscored our strengths in:

• Swift interviewer recruitment: LOTE's effective recruitment

played a pivotal role in maintaining the project timeline, blending efficiency with quality.

• Engaging the elder demographic: recognising the sensitivities

surrounding recent cancer diagnoses, especially among older individuals, our approach was characterised by empathy and respect.