New toolkit elevates cancer nutrition care nationwide
With the recent publication of the COSA Cancer-related Malnutrition and Sarcopenia Implementation Toolkit, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals across Australia now have access to a practical resource designed to enhance the management of malnutrition and sarcopenia in cancer patients.
Developed by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) Nutrition Group with significant contributions from Associate Professor Merran Findlay, a senior research fellow in SPHERE Cancer Clinical Theme’s Living Better with and After Cancer Focus Group and Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, this toolkit is set to play a vital role in improving patient care.
The toolkit's creation follows the release of COSA's national Position Statement on Cancer-Related Malnutrition and Sarcopenia, which highlighted the urgent need for standardised practices in addressing these issues. Cancer-related malnutrition and sarcopenia (low muscle mass) affect one in three patients with cancer, negatively impacting clinical, cost and patient-centred outcomes including survival, treatment completion and quality of life.
Recognising the gap between evidence-based guideline recommendations and their implementation in clinical settings, COSA, along with Findlay and the multidisciplinary cancer-related malnutrition and sarcopenia working group, developed a comprehensive resource which helps support healthcare providers to integrate these best practices into their everyday work.
The development process was marked by a collaborative and iterative approach. Members of the working group, alongside clinicians from across Australia, engaged in multiple workshops to refine the toolkit’s resources. These sessions allowed for the practical needs and challenges faced by clinicians to be thoroughly considered and addressed. To ensure its usability and acceptability, the toolkit underwent rigorous testing and review by multidisciplinary clinicians, whose feedback was instrumental in its final design.
The toolkit includes a range of features designed to facilitate its adoption in various healthcare settings. Among these delivered in Phase 1 are example Clinical Indicators and customisable Care Pathways that can be tailored to local contexts, ensuring relevance and applicability. The toolkit also provides Checklists and Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time Frameworks (AACTT), offering structured guidance for clinicians in implementing the recommendations. Additionally, Audit tools are included, enabling healthcare providers to monitor and evaluate their adherence to the guidelines.
“The toolkit represents a significant advancement in the effort to improve the nutritional care of patients with cancer,” explains A/Prof Findlay.
“By equipping healthcare professionals with these evidence-based tools, the toolkit aims to foster more consistent and effective management of malnutrition and sarcopenia, ultimately improving outcomes for individuals living with and beyond cancer.
“As this toolkit is rolled out across healthcare settings, its impact is expected to extend beyond individual patient care, contributing to broader efforts to standardise and elevate oncological nutrition practices across Australia,” she said.