Research Projects

While the need for multidisciplinary and multiprofessional cancer management to achieve best patients outcomes has been widely recognised, most healthcare ecosystems across the European Union (EU) are not completely fit to accommodate this need. Indeed, healthcare professionals’ education and training do not prepare the latter to practice such multidisciplinary care. As a result of distinct training programmes for various specialities pertaining to cancer care, there is very few mutual understanding and cooperation between the various cancer care professionals occupation. The INTERACT-EUROPE project aims to foster a patient-centric approach to quality cancer care through the promotion of multidisciplinary and multi-professional team working. Indeed, the project will advance the foundations of knowledge and understanding that different professions involved in cancer care have of each other, and address cancer inequalities. Healthcare professional organisations involved in the project will develop a curriculum for an inter-specialty training programme targeted at clinical oncology, surgery and radiology, including their respective nursing services, based on relevant needs assessments. The project will also lay out the foundations of trainees and cancer centres recruitment to the programme, ensuring a strong understanding of their needs and their readiness for the later delivery of the programme. Elements of the training curriculum will be translated into technology-enhanced learning scenarios, to ensure wide access to such training tools across the EU. Finally, communication actions will ensure broad awareness of the programme to allow uptake of the project’s recommendations by the cancer care community. The inclusion of representatives from the whole European cancer community in the consortium will allow for the development of a targeted and efficient multidisciplinary programme and production of recommendations to foster inter-disciplinary cancer care across the EU.