CO-CAPTAIN: Cancer Prevention Among Individuals with Mental Ill-Health

Introduction: While issues concerning mental health are of great importance, they often overshadow physical problems faced by people with mental ill-health. Cancer is one of the most common causes of death among this population. Target audience: The CO-CAPTAIN project presents valuable insights for policymakers, professionals, and academics invested in understanding integrated cancer care. Involvement of Stakeholders in the Project: Active participation of various stakeholders will define the CO-CAPTAIN project in the first phase of the project. In this first phase, a qualitative study design has been conducted interviewing key stakeholders to identify cancer care inequalities and barriers but also points to be strengthened, guide the co-design sessions of the features of model for primary cancer prevention. Intervention: The CO-CAPTAIN project aims to outline a sound knowledge translation strategy to prevent cancer for individuals with mental ill-health by implementing and upscaling navigation services to overcome cancer care inequalities and deliver cost-effective primary cancer prevention for individuals with mental ill-health conditions. Results: The qualitative interviews will help analysing the specific health needs and the barriers for accessing and benefit from cancer primary prevention services and programs for individuals with mental at system, provider, and individual levels. Results from the interviews are being analysed with qualitative analysis methodologies and the results of the co-design will be anticipated by April 2024. Lessons Learned for the International Audience: CO-CAPTAIN addresses the strengthening coordination and continuity of care adopting tailored cancer prevention strategies in mental health services, to overcome potential barriers that prevent individuals with mental ill-health from finding the most appropriated care, as a crucial step for delivering high-quality preventive cancer care services. It addresses unique challenges across diverse local contexts, offering valuable lessons for an international audience grappling with similar issues with fragmented care systems and groups with complex needs. Next Steps: After co-adapting the features of the patient navigator for cancer prevention tailored to the specific needs of individuals with mental ill-health and identify implementation strategies for the local communities in the 4 pilot sites, CO-CAPTAIN will conduct a pilot implementation of the intervention for cancer prevention in Austria, Greece, Poland, and Spain.