Adolescent and young adult cancer patients aged 15–39
In April 2021, Taiwan’s first specialized care team dedicated to cancer patients aged 15–39 was established. Utilizing an oncology nurse navigator model, the team provides personalized consultations based on needs assessments conducted following initial diagnosis; by identifying specific patient issues, the team facilitates timely access to hospital resources—such as reproductive medicine, social work, and nutritional support—to enhance patients' quality of life.
Lead nurses proactively assess the needs of the AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) demographic; transferred patients remain under ongoing monitoring and receive check-ins via event invitations.
Online activities: Accessible regardless of location, hospital, or community, with themes relevant to the lifestyle issues that matter to this group.
Establishment of a LINE-bot platform for patients and a dedicated official website for AYA patients.
Development of an interdisciplinary "AYA Patient Journey Adventure" online board game curriculum.
Regular dissemination of relevant information and event updates via social media to foster care and interaction between medical staff and patients.
Between April 2021 and August 2022, 87 newly diagnosed patients underwent needs assessments, with 30 expressing a need for consultation.
The most frequent requests were for nutritional counseling (13 instances), followed by fertility preservation counseling (12 instances) and social work service consultations (12 instances).
A total of 52 consultation instances were recorded during the April 2021–August 2022 period.
A total of 76 people participated in online events (37 from Shuang Ho Hospital and 39 from other hospitals).
Online viewership totaled approximately 700 views.
A study on genetic testing for young cancer patients was conducted from 2019 to 2020; 40 patients were enrolled, and 9 were found to carry genetic mutations.
Service quality indicators for newly diagnosed cancer patients aged 15–39 met all established thresholds during 2021–2022.
The team held regular monthly meetings (12 sessions annually) with 100% attendance across all departments.
The video presentation from the 2022 Inaugural Interdisciplinary Holistic Care and Education Symposium has garnered 518 views to date.
Between May 2021 and August 31, 2022, a total of 53 individuals completed the Distress Thermometer (DT); among them, 20 patients completed the scale twice (at time points t1 and t2).
16 patients showed a downward trend in scores or maintained scores below 4.
4 patients showed an upward trend in scores, with DT(t2) ≥ 4.
Overall satisfaction with online events: 4.3 out of 5 (N=30)
Overall satisfaction across job categories (Jan–Aug 2022): 4.5 out of 5 (N=6)
Feedback from domestic healthcare peers reflects a satisfaction rating of nearly five stars.
Global Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Congress
Participated in the UK-based Global Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Congress (December)
Won first place in the Holistic Education Lesson Plan Competition
