AIM
Meaningful collaboration and connections are an essential component in advancing cancer research, education and clinical care to maximise patient outcomes. As an alliance organisation, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) has established a Building Connectivity program which aims to connect networks to reduce organisational boundaries and enable strategic and systematic collaboration. Thus, developing the capability and processes that will enable effective connections between organisations, disciplines and research specialities.
METHODS
Through an intensive literature review and consultative process, the VCCC identified a need for developing a coordinated approach for partner organisations to connect for meaningful collaboration. By the VCCC facilitating such connections, researchers and clinicians across the partnership will have the opportunity to share, learn, identify and solve problems and ultimately to improve outcomes for patients. Effective connections and communication among groups with similar or complementary interests will be central to enabling the VCCC partnership to realise its potential, through ensuring the best minds in cancer care are working together.
Utilising a collective impact framework, the program has addressed the five conditions of collective success through establishing a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and a backbone support organisation.
RESULTS
In the initial stage, three groups (Psycho-oncology, Patient Reported Outcomes and Patient Experience (PROs and PE) and Bioinformatics) have been identified due to the potential for significant collaborative gain or capacity building through working together.
Currently, the Psycho-oncology group are beginning a modified Delphi process to inform current and future strategies, the PROs and PE group have established a steering group and are working on identifying the group direction and the Bioinformatics group is still in the initial consultation phase with key individuals to establish need.
Results and process evaluation will be presented on the day.
CONCLUSION
Building meaningful connectivity between collaborative partners may lead to better patient outcomes. Implementation of an evidence-based collective impact framework will ensure collaboration is sustainable and leads to more substantial progress and results that no one organisation could achieve on their own.