Prioritising the content and delivery of a work-focused intervention for women with breast cancer using the nominal group technique

Background: Increased breast cancer survivorship has prompted a focus on optimising quality of life for this cohort, including reintegration into employment. Despite this, there remains a lack of work-focused interventions to support work outcomes for women living with and beyond breast cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to prioritise the content and delivery of a work-focused intervention for women living with and beyond breast cancer.

Methods: Twelve stakeholders including women living with and beyond breast cancer, healthcare professionals, cancer support centre staff, and policy informers were invited to participate in an online discussion using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to determine priorities for a work-focused intervention. The NGT seeks consensus through four steps; (i) idea generation, (ii) discussion among the group, (iii) refining ideas, and (iv) ranking preference for ideas through anonymised voting.

Results: Intervention content prioritised included managing cancer-related symptoms and work-specific factors. Consensus was made for a blended delivery format (mix of group and individual sessions), and blended delivery (face-to-face and online). Findings indicated a preference for a six-week intervention, with 90-120 minute sessions. Community-based settings were preferred over hospital-based services for the setting of a work-focused intervention. Zoom Video Communications Inc. was the preferred setting to deliver an online intervention.

Conclusion: Stakeholder priorities informed the content and delivery of a work-focused intervention for women with breast cancer. A pilot of the proposed intervention will be conducted to test for feasibility and acceptability.