Nursing and Allied Health

Nursing and Allied Health

A first of its kind in Canada, BC Cancer’s Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation (NAHRKT) department harnesses the knowledge of nurses and allied health providers — including social workers, dieticians, physiotherapists and speech language pathologists — to drive innovation and best practices in cancer care.

The mobilization of knowledge from these hands-on health experts helps bring evidence-based information into daily practice and improve the cancer journey for patients, families and caregivers.

What You Need to Know about the NAHRKT

Launched in early 2021 and led by NAHRKT Executive Director and senior scientist Dr. Leah Lambert, the department was created to bridge the gap between research, science, practice and policy at BC Cancer to improve outcomes for patients in our province. The NAHRKT team is regarded as an early leader in the cancer health equity space — they hold the necessary expertise and partnerships to integrate equity-oriented health care into the cancer care sector to foster more equitable, responsive and respectful cancer services.

Nurses and allied health professionals offer distinct insights into patient care and are critical for fuelling progress in the cancer care system. With an ongoing need for specialized nurses and front-line experts, it’s vital that we invest in the future of nursing education, jobs and leadership in cancer care.

How is the NAHRKT Advancing Research and Treatment at BC Cancer?

With donor support, BC Cancer’s NAHRKT team is accelerating evidence-informed improvements in cancer care across our province.

Knowledge Translation and Research Challenge Programs

NAHRKT is increasing the pace at which new research discoveries can improve clinical practice and reach patients and families across B.C. The Knowledge Translation and Research Challenge programs lead to meaningful improvements in patient care and help support the growth and development of nursing and allied staff.

• Knowledge Translation Challenge: The annual challenge provides training, mentorship and funding that encourages frontline staff to implement research evidence into their clinical practices to improve the quality of cancer care.
• Practice-based Research Challenge: The annual challenge encourages teams to identify gaps and uncover evidence-informed solutions through research. This program offers nursing and allied health professionals with limited or no research experience the opportunity to work with a mentor to develop and conduct their own research project.

Equity-Oriented Cancer Care and Research

Socioeconomic, demographic and geographic factors contribute to health inequities, disproportionately affecting underserved populations. These groups are more likely to be diagnosed with preventable cancers, to die from cancers that are typically curable and to be underrepresented in cancer care services. In response, Dr. Lambert and her team have taken a national leadership role in advancing equity-driven cancer care and research. Thanks to donor support, they are collaborating with scholars, health leaders and policymakers to address these inequities and improve cancer health equity.

Nutrition Knowledge Mobilization

A comprehensive needs assessment showed that people facing cancer crave practical nutrition advice. Thanks to donors, NAHRKT was the first to create a Knowledge Mobilization Dietitian role within the team, who led initiatives to help dietitians across B.C. provide enhanced nutrition support to patients and families facing cancer. This innovative role created a strong foundation of knowledge translation tools that will benefit patients and staff for years to come.

For example, the Knowledge Mobilization Dietitian enabled the team to:

• Incorporate a hand grip strength test into nutrition assessments for people undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers. This can provide an improved measure of functional status, allowing dieticians to more effectively monitor patients and prescribe the best nutrition recommendations
• Coordinate a virtual, equity-oriented nutrition series accessible to people with cancer across the province
• Implement an evidence-based patient prioritization standard to ensure patients receive timely support from a dietitian