PURPOSE: To respond to the psychological needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, we developed and evaluated a theoretically grounded online intervention to teach adaptive coping skills to promote resilience in early survivorship: 'Recapture Life'. This qualitative study aimed to evaluate the process of implementing Recapture Life into community organisations, after having been initially developed in an academic setting.
METHODS: The study duration was 2017-2022. Eighteen community staff members were interviewed before the implementation (T0) and nine of them after the implementation (T1). A qualitative data process evaluation using the Proctor model for implementation was completed. Interviews were thematically analysed and mapped to four key domains: acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, and sustainability.
RESULTS: Major facilitators included the training provided to staff before implementation, support from the community organisation, and the culture within the organisation, as well as the communication between the university/hospital and the community organisation/s. Major barriers included staff turnover and recruitment of participants. Most, but not all, of the potential barriers and facilitators mentioned at T0 were confirmed at T1. The COVID-19 pandemic was considered both a barrier and a facilitator. Additionally, this category did not fit into the Proctor framework, as it cut across all outcomes.
CONCLUSION: We identified several processes critical to supporting the success of an AYA cancer intervention delivery. This study highlights the potential for psychological programs to be delivered online by skilled and well-trained psychosocial staff in community and not-for-profit settings. Trial registration The study was registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN126240013995830) November 26th, 2024 (retrospectively registered).
}}, author = {{Irestorm, Elin and Wakefield, Claire E and Houweling, Rachel and Hetherington, Kate and McGill, Brittany C and McDonald, Fiona E J and Cohn, Richard J and Sansom-Daly, Ursula M}}, issn = {{0941-4355}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{06}}, number = {{7}}, pages = {{1--11}}, publisher = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}}, series = {{Supportive Care in Cancer}}, title = {{Barriers and facilitators to implementing an online psychological intervention for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in a community setting}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-10867-9}}, doi = {{10.1007/s00520-026-10867-9}}, volume = {{34}}, year = {{2026}}, }