Aims: With oncology patients increasingly completing treatment and living longer post-therapy, cancer survivorship has become a rapidly expanding healthcare field. Being a relatively new area, educational resources on survivorship for health professionals are limited. The purpose of this study is to describe the development and evaluation of an online survivorship resource to improve care and inform future educational development in this area.

Methods: The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre commissioned the development of an educational resource to enhance nurses’ ability to support survivorship care. A multidisciplinary team developed an educational framework and modules linking theory with practice. Health professionals have been recruited to review the site by e-mail from centres involved in the study including the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Queensland University of Technology. After completing at least one educational module, participants were asked to complete an online evaluation survey and/or register for a telephone interview to provide qualitative feedback.

Results: The Cancer Survivorship resource contains 6 modules: Cancer Survivorship Fundamentals, Key Elements of Cancer Survivorship Care, Toolbox for providing cancer survivorship care, Managing Common Health Concerns, Promoting Self-Management and Promoting Wellness. Preliminary interview feedback is positive on the applicability of the modules as well as the multimedia presentation formats. Most participants emphasized that obtaining Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points was an important motivator to completing CPD. Constructive comments were provided around the overload of information in some areas and technical issues at times.

Conclusion: The Cancer Survivorship site fills a significant gap in current survivorship care resources. Importantly, the resource makes strong linkages between education and practice. The findings from this study will provide data regarding participants’ reasons for engaging in survivorship education and optimal content and presentation formats for CPD in this field. Preliminary analysis supports the value of developing well-structured, current survivorship resources.