Bayview Hospital has launched the region’s first virtual cancer support navigation programme, in a move set to reshape cancer care in Barbados and the region by pairing patients with a dedicated oncology nurse from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
The programme, launched on Tuesday at Bayview Hospital on St Paul’s Avenue, Bayville, is a collaboration between the hospital and a Canadian-owned virtual care and healthcare navigation service, CarePath Caribbean, with sponsorship by Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited.
Patients who enrol are assigned a single oncology nurse who stays with them from diagnosis through survivorship. The support is delivered entirely by video and telephone, allowing patients to remain at home and close to family while they are treated.
Republic Bank has pledged $25 000 to subsidise the cost of the programme and help the first ten patients, CarePath Caribbean Vice-President of Strategic Alliances Don Thomson said.
“Roughly one in four people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, with cancer accounting for approximately 25 per cent of all deaths on the island,” said Bayview Chief Operations Officer Kathyann Ollivierre.
“What is especially concerning is that nearly half of these diagnoses occur during a person’s working years.
“This impacts not only individuals and their families, but our workplaces and the wider community.”
She continued: “The introduction of virtual cancer navigation in partnership with CarePath Caribbean and Republic Bank Barbados Limited reflects Bayview’s ongoing commitment to meeting these challenges head on.”
Ollivierre stressed that the service “does not replace local clinical care” but adds “a vital layer of continuous support”.
Dedicated oncology nurse navigators would help streamline communication, improve side-effect management between clinic visits and keep care coordinated, she added.
Thomson said the programme was designed to ensure patients did not have to “face the complexity of a cancer diagnosis alone”.
He said: “Cancer care involves an intricate journey. Patients often move between 20 or more specialists throughout their active treatment. On top of having to digest complex information being provided to them, they’re trying to manage the side effects of the treatment itself. They’re dealing with their personal lives, their family lives and their careers.”
The partnership with Bayview and Republic Bank would bring personalised, “oncology-directed care and navigation directly to people across Barbados and to their families”.
Patients receive explanations in plain language about tests and treatments, information on managing side effects and help preparing questions for their doctor’s visits, he said.
“They receive information about how to help with the side effects of the treatments themselves, and we help prepare them with questions and overall preparation for each doctor’s visit.”
The service is delivered entirely by video and telephone and is supported by senior oncologists and a collaboration with Toronto’s University Health Network, which includes the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Thomson said.
The programme allows for a seamless connection to an international medical second opinion when required, he added.
Dr Vikash Chatrani, an obstetrician, gynaecologist and gynae-oncologist with practising privileges at Bayview and Queen Elizabeth hospitals, said he had seen first-hand the emotional and physical toll a serious diagnosis could take on patients and their loved ones.
“When a patient receives a cancer diagnosis, the amount of information thrown at them can be overwhelming,” he said.
Dr Chatrani said the partnership allowed patients to feel supported and guided throughout their medical journey.
“Having a dedicated oncology nurse for a patient for six to 12 months means patients have a reliable clinical contact to turn to between appointments. It means that they come into their doctor’s office better prepared with a clearer understanding of their diagnosis, treatment options, and questions that they need to ask. It means side effects are identified and managed early, and emotional support is consistently provided.”
He stressed that the navigation programme works alongside attending physicians, providing oncologist-led support and access to international second-opinion networks when complex cases demand it, while keeping primary treatment grounded in Barbados.
Asked whether the partners had identified a gap in cancer services, Dr Chatrani said the issue was not an absence of care but the effect a cancer diagnosis could have on a patient’s ability to absorb information.
“You may be thorough in your explanations, but there’s that void that occurs in that patient’s mind just hearing the word cancer. They go blank,” he said.
Patients could leave a doctor’s office unable to recall what they had been told when relatives asked about the diagnosis, he said.
The programme supports patients from diagnosis through treatment and into monitoring afterwards, he said, with surveillance continuing for months or longer to monitor for recurrence.
Dr Chatrani praised the work already being done by the Barbados Cancer Society and Cancer Support Services to help patients deal with the emotional impact of a diagnosis.
“What this is doing is validating what is being done locally, providing expert opinions, and helping guide that patient to know they’re getting first class care right here in Barbados,” he said.
Through the Bayview and CarePath Caribbean websites, prospective patients would first be offered a free 20-minute consultation with an oncology nurse to determine whether the programme was suitable before deciding whether to enrol, according to Thomson.
“We would like to expand further into the region,” he added.
CarePath Caribbean is an international offshoot of the original Canadian virtual patient guidance and oncology navigation model, CarePath Canada. The original CarePath model was created by Dr Denny De Petrillo at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, utilising oncology nurses and specialist physicians.
Parent company CarePath Canada initially focused on cancer because of the complexity of the disease and the length of treatment, Thomson said.
He said the company was also exploring other disease areas, including diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.
Dr Chatrani said he would welcome an expansion of the service to other chronic conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.
“I think there’s opportunity for this initiative to expand beyond cancer, and I look forward to Don and his team bringing that to Barbadians,” he said.
(LG)
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