Abstract
Purpose
Volunteers from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac) Patient Information and Support Centre (PISC) assist the Cancer Support Nurse by helping patients and families/carers find information and provide face-to-face peer support. Benefits of shared personal experiences between volunteer and patient are clearly different from professional support. Volunteers require specific skill sets and detailed preparation for this role.
Materials and methods
Volunteers completed a 3-day training programme adapted from the Cancer Council Victoria’s ‘Cancer Connect Telephone Peer Support Volunteer’ training programme. The focus was role expectations and boundaries for peer support volunteers, debriefing, communication skills training, support services, complementary and alternative therapies and internet information. Assessment included a quiz and observation for a range of competencies. Role-play with simulated patients developed appropriate support skills.
Results
Eight volunteers participated. Pre-training questionnaires revealed all volunteers highly self-rated existing skills supporting people affected by cancer. During training, volunteers recognised these skills were inadequate. All agreed that role-play using an actor as a ‘simulated patient’ helped develop communication skills; however, the experience proved challenging. Post-training all reported increased knowledge of role definition and boundaries, supportive communication skills, supports available for patients and families/carers and importance of self-care. Facilitators recommended seven of the eight participants be accredited PISC Peer Support Volunteers. One volunteer was assessed unsuitable for consistently overstepping the boundaries of the peer support role and withdrew from training.
Conclusion
Success of the programme resulted in a trained ‘face-to-face peer support volunteer’ group better equipped for their role. Sixteen months following training, all who completed the programme remain active volunteers in the PISC. Planned educational updates include needs identified by the volunteers. The training programme would require adapting for future peer support volunteers.
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Acknowledgements
Peter MacCallum would like to acknowledge invaluable assistance and support from the Cancer Council Victoria in developing this training programme; The Pratt Foundation for support of Harnessing Inner Strength, the internal psychosocial programme at Peter Mac; Associate Professor Penny Schofield and Ms Annabel Pollard from the Harnessing Inner Strength team for support and comments on the original manuscript and Ms. Anne Franzi-Ford J.P., Manager of Volunteer Services at Peter Mac, for assistance with adapting and co-facilitating the training programme and the PISC volunteers for their participation and support.
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Kinnane, N.A., Waters, T. & Aranda, S. Evaluation of a pilot ‘peer support’ training programme for volunteers in a hospital-based cancer information and support centre. Support Care Cancer 19, 81–90 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-009-0791-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-009-0791-3