Associate Professor Natalie Bradford—a research leader with the QUT Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre—is one of the first researchers in Australia to investigate the potential benefits of providing electronic and personalised advice to help manage the problems associated with cancer and cancer treatment in young people.
“Advances in cancer treatment has seen a dramatic improvement in survival for many cancers in young people, but this comes at the cost of a high burden of symptoms from treatment. My research focusses on new ways to monitor, document and communicate about symptoms,” Associate Professor Bradford said.
In January 2020, Associate Professor Bradford commenced her four-year $640k National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Fellowship to investigate improving the continuum of cancer care in young people.
The project aims to improve symptom management across the continuum of cancer care, including long-term survivorship and palliative care.
Associate Professor Bradford will research the use of digital technology to improve symptom management for children with cancer and is working closely with cancer clinicians, patients and families to develop an electronic remote symptom management system called RESPONSE.
“I am working closely with young people, their families and the health care professionals that provide cancer care, to investigate new ways to manage the symptoms during cancer treatment,” Associate Professor Bradford said.
As a children’s cancer nurse, Associate Professor Bradford has strong clinical links integral to developing the program of work.
“Young people experience a high burden of symptom during cancer treatment, yet routine, comprehensive symptom monitoring is not part of standard care. I aim to change this by co-deigning and implementing systems that work for patients and healthcare professionals, streamlining communication and sharing information when it is needed most,” Associate Professor Bradford said.
Working with the Children’s Health Queensland (CHQ) Digital Engagement team and Oncology Services, her research will:
- develop and test mechanisms to monitor symptoms
- deliver personalised self-management strategies
- communicate about most problematic symptoms in a systematic way.
Associate Professor Bradford’s research has the potential to stop symptoms from escalating into longer-term problems.
“My research focuses on standardising cancer symptom management in young people—working out what symptoms should be assessed when, when we should intervene and how this information is documented and communicated,” Associate Professor Bradford said.
The research will examine both the implementation and effectiveness of symptom monitoring systems across the cancer continuum, empowering children and parents as partners in shared decision-making.