Educational content on VJOncology is intended for healthcare professionals only. By visiting this website and accessing this information you confirm that you are a healthcare professional.

Share this video  

MASCC 2016 | Raising awareness of online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) tools for Cancer Supportive Care

Lisa Beatty, PhD, of Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia discusses optimism towards online interventions for supportive care. There is now a plethora of studies that have been published on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), ten of them about distress, and a range that has addressed other psycho-social problems. There has been an increased reach with internet use over time – 86% of households in Australia have internet access. However, some still lack access, for instance very senior Australians and those in rural communities. Along with this, Dr Beatty mentions how some people prefer not to deal with their problems online and would opt for face-to-face contact. It is not an approach that will fit every patient, however, it is a useful first step in providing a stepped care model, especially where the other option would be no treatment. The take home message is that only 25% of patients that are clinically, significantly distressed following cancer, actually elect to attend face-to-face therapies. Studies have shown that 40-60% of these patients accept online interventions that are offered to them, with the reach continuing to increase. Recorded at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) and International Society of Ocular Oncology (ISOO) 2016 Annual Meeting on Supportive Care in Cancer held in Adelaide, Australia.