Yvonne O’Meara
Systemic Psychotherapist and UCD Women’s Cancer Survivorship Research Coordinator
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) began in 2020 as a project aiming to improve overall health and wellbeing for women following a cancer diagnosis.
A first-of-its-kind project for Ireland supported by the Irish Cancer Society, the WHI is based across three locations nationwide in Dublin (Mater Misericordia University Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital and the National Maternity Hospital), Cork (Cork University Hospital) and Galway (University Hospital Galway).
Issues for women after cancer treatment
As well as offering access to in-hospital clinics and virtual support for the many complex — yet often unaddressed — issues facing women during and after their cancer treatment, the WHI includes a range of innovative studies focused on specifically identified areas of need. We hope that it will eventually lead to the development of a national programme for cancer survivors.
In the WHI’s Dublin team led by Gynaecological Oncology Professor Donal Brennan at UCD, two studies — the Menopause after Cancer Study (MAC Study) and the Sleep after Cancer Study (SAC Study) — explored the effects of menopause after cancer and how women’s sleep is impacted after treatment.
The Diagnosis Delivery Project, rolled out nationally, sees all newly diagnosed patients who attend a gynaecological clinic receive a diagnosis card with details of their diagnosis, treating doctor and nurse, along with an image of where the cancer is. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) has been central to all of the research programmes.
Its primary objective is to provide relevant, reliable information to those living with and beyond a gynaecological cancer.
Personalised platform for gynaecological cancers
Another novel aspect of the WHI has been the development of the thisisGO.ie platform. Its primary objective is to provide relevant, reliable information to those living with and beyond a gynaecological cancer and/or related genetic conditions. It is a multimedia platform available for five cancers: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vulvar, vaginal and two inherited cancer predisposition syndromes: BRCA and Lynch syndrome. Healthcare professionals and families can also create specialised profiles on the platform.
As per the needs identified by patients consulted by the project team, thisisGO.ie provides the following:
- Individualised, blended platform, including over 300 pieces of written material and 40 videos, podcasts and patient stories, allowing users to develop a bespoke profile based on where they are in their treatment from diagnosis to surveillance and recurrence
- National directory of services for Irish women living with and after gynaecological cancer
- Symptom tracker
- A ‘decoding the science’ section describing seminal trial results
The platform has over 100 collaborators, including national and international experts who donated their resources and time free of charge. These innovations can help make life during and after cancer easier to manage for women, specific to their personalised needs.
To enquire about the programme, or if you are a patient or public member who would like to get involved, contact Yvonne O’Meara on [email protected]