CASE STUDY: METHODOLOGY IN BUILDING INFORMATION AND EDUCATION RESOURCES FOR A NATIONAL SCREENING PROGRAM Supporting participation paramount in the upcoming National Lung Cancer Screening Program
With
Dr Rachael Dodd
Senior Research Fellow,
The Daffodil Centre, a Cancer Council NSW & The University of Sydney Joint Venture
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL CASE STUDY
Filmed in Sydney | April 2025
At the recent Screening Conference 2025 in Sydney, hosted by Public Health Association, Dr Rachael Dodd, Senior Research Fellow at The Daffodil Centre, spoke about the information and educational resources created to increase awareness in the healthcare workforce and community on the upcoming Australia’s National Lung Cancer Screening Program commencing in July 2025.
A consortium including The Daffodil Centre, Lung Foundation Australia, Cancer Council Victoria and University of Melbourne were engaged by the Australian Government, through Cancer Australia to deliver a suite of information materials, workforce education resources, and a dissemination strategy for the Program, seen as paramount to support participation.
Dr Dodd talked to Australian Health Journal about the qualitative research process over the past 6 years, from a scoping review of existing lung cancer screening (LCS) information materials and messaging and an environmental scan of existing cancer screening program resources to inform initial development of the key messages, proposed information resources and the dissemination strategy. These were further developed through individual interviews and co-design workshops with the healthcare workforce and community members.
The scoping review identified 34 articles reporting strategies to increase awareness and knowledge of LCS. The environmental scan found 13 provider-focused resources and 18 consumer-focused resources across Australian screening programs. Most LCS-specific resources (18 sets) were from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore.
Key ideas arising from the consultations (28 community; 35 health workforce) and co-design workshops (2 health workforce (n=41), 1 community (n=18)) were the need for: clear information about eligibility criteria, a pack-year smoking calculator, easy-to-read detail about the National Cancer Screening Register, examples of symptoms of lung cancer, clarity on referral pathways, a centralised website to host resources, videos of the screening process, guidance for ineligible participants, and managing conversations including smoking behaviours, and lung cancer stigma. Digital resources were generally preferred to paper resources.
Source: Adapted from Screening Conference 2025 Abstract Book
-
Addressing Wound Management
The cost of chronic wounds in Australia is estimated to be $3 Billion per year, impacting 420,000 Australians. Not only is this a national economic concern, but more importantly, is the suffering the person may be going through.
Australian Health Journal met with Hayley Ryan, Board Director and Chair at Wounds Australia and Director at WoundRescue to hear her work in chronic wound management, palliative wounds and pressure injury prevention to comfort those living with a wound.
-
AHW Exhibitor: Gentec Australia
Gentec Australia, an Australian supplier of tapware and designer of wash basins to the healthcare industry exhibited at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week 2019. Their patented basin design reduces the risk of infection through splashing from water through an offset waste, as well as other infection control features. Know My Group reporter Anne Dao spoke with General Manager for Sales Graeme Bunt and State Manager (VIC) Vanessa Beever.
In an upcoming segment Australian Health Journal will cover the technologies deployed and steps taken by hospitals and clinics in infection control.
-
Getting the conversation going on the connection between oral health and chronic conditions
Dr. Carol Tran is an Oral Health Therapist and co-founder of Oral Health Home, an organisation focused on innovative, prevention-oriented oral health education and outreach. She is a Past President of Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) and currently is the Scientific Program Chair, for upcoming congress in October 2025, for the newly formed Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA).
