Dr Kemp has been awarded a Flinders Foundation Cancer Seed Grant to look at optimal ways of managing cancer patients with ‘multimorbidity’ – two or more chronic conditions.

“Most people affected by cancer will have at least one other chronic condition and it is quite common for people to have three or more other conditions,” Dr Kemp explains.

“Multimorbidity adds complexity to cancer treatment and survivorship from diagnosis onward, and has a negative impact on physical and psychological outcomes for people affected by cancer.”

There are currently no optimal, effective models of care for managing multimorbidity for people affected by cancer, but Dr Kemp hopes her project will change that by creating a prototype clinical pathway to assist health professionals to manage patients and their conditions in more effective and efficient ways.

“Our work is about helping both patients and healthcare professionals in their efforts to treat the ‘whole person’ and improve their quality of life, rather than treating a single disease.”

­Dr Kemp is also the Flinders Foundation Senior Research Fellow in Cancer Support.

She’ll spend the next three years exploring the psychological impacts of cancer on patients and carers to find better ways to support them to navigate this difficult time in their lives, by providing the right resources at the right time to support people throughout their cancer journey.

Project Title: Developing optimal models of care to manage multimorbidity in people with cancer: a clinical pathway co-design study.