Funded by CCLG
Lead investigator: Dr Jess Morgan, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
Award: £93,858.98
Awarded December 2024
The challenge
Chemotherapy can involve staying in hospital, sometimes for days at a time. While there is a way to deliver ‘ambulatory’ chemotherapy (AC) as an outpatient, which means using a portable pump that the patient or carer carries with them, it is not commonly used for children and teenagers with cancer.
Research suggests that AC can improve quality of life, reduce pressure on hospitals, and reduce costs, without reducing safety or cure rates. However, it also means that families have to learn how to look after their child and the pump, and may face increased travel to hospital.
Understanding what research has already been done about AC in young people would help show what has worked, what the challenges are, and what we still need to figure out.
The project
Dr Jess Morgan and her team at the University of York will conduct a ‘scoping review’ into AC for children and young people. This method will bring together all previous research on AC and ‘map’ our current understanding.
The project will run alongside the team’s ongoing research into what AC is available for children and teenagers across the UK and how this is set up. Both projects will be guided by groups of patients, parents, and healthcare professionals to ensure they answer the most important questions with meaningful answers.
The impact
The researchers will use the findings to help healthcare professionals and researchers develop AC care for the future. The findings will be shared with patients, parents, professionals, researchers, and funders to ensure they understand this important area of cancer care.