INVESTIGATING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS PRESPECTIVES ON EXERCISE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION IN A CANADIAN SETTING

Abstract

Exercise mitigates the negative side-effects of cancer treatment. However, most individuals living with and beyond cancer (LWBC) are insufficiently active. One reason is the lack of guidance received from healthcare care providers (HCPs); HCPs do not routinely refer individuals LWBC to exercise due to time, resource, and expertise constraints. As such, “EXercise for Cancer to Enhance Living Well” (EXCEL) strives to support HCPs to refer individuals LWBC by providing a program, a referral process, and exercise professional support. Our goal was to assess if EXCEL was a feasible referral pathway for HCPs. In EXCEL year three (2023), 13 HCPs who referred individuals to EXCEL were interviewed. Through interpretive description , interviews revealed that HCPs achieve more by doing less; CEP knowledge, integrated referrals, and patient testimonials are next steps to enhance referral adoption. By implementing findings, we aim to ensure HCPs continue to refer to support wellbeing for individuals LWBC.