ICISG Supporting Other Cancer Information Services

National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM)

ICISG guidance on Malaysia’s Cancer Information Service (report provided by Dr Saunthari Somasundaram, President and Medical Director, National Cancer Society Malaysia, October 2017)

  • ICISG has been crucial in the setting up of Malaysia’s Cancer Information Service. From its conception, The NCSM has obtained excellent guidance from all of its mentors, in particular Cancer Research UK (CRUK), Cancer Council Victoria (CCV), Cancer Council Queensland (CCQ), and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).
  • NCSM commissioned CCV in 2011 to travel to Malaysia to conduct a 2 day ‘Train the trainers’ programme for doctors, nurses, peer group volunteers and survivors. The purpose was twofold:
  1. To elevate the communication between the HCP and patient towards  better patient centric and supportive care
  2. To empower patient groups in their services through fostering communications and the provision of uniform standards of care and service.
  • ICISG mentors have contributed to the different aspects of our CIS:

Process and procedures: of the helpline, email service as well as chat forums on our Stronger than cancer mobile application (CRUK)

Hiring and training: core needs, interview templates and training programmes (CCQ)

Content and references: knowledge based content that serves as a reference for the service, as well as for the public on our mobile application (CCV and CCS)

Data collection and quality assurance: benchmarks, checklists on quality of calls, categories for data collection (CRUK, CCQ, ICISG website) – all of which helped NCSM build the software/system for the CIS

 

  • The mentors are also fully committed to the guidance:
    • Demeanor is always encouraging and welcoming
    • Response is immediate: questions are often answered within 48 hours
    • Answers or information provided is detailed and in-depth: mentors even take the time and effort to explain the rationale behind their best practices
    • Requests for materials (manuals etc.) are readily shared
    • Referrals to external contacts are quick and on point: when applicable, mentors will refer us to the correct sources/organization for further help

 

  • The ICISG website also served as a useful point of reference during the set up.