PatiEnt nAvigation to improve outcomes in people affected by cancer from cultuRally and Linguistically diverse backgrounds– the PEARL study

“PEARL builds on the extensive expertise of our partners in peer support, navigation and supportive cancer care and is directly informed by decades of consumer- and end-user experience. We are proud to be delivering Australia’s first nationally scalable patient navigation program for Chinese- and Vietnamese- speaking cancer survivors in collaboration with our community partners.”

– Carolyn Ee

There are significant disparities in cancer care and outcomes for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Australia.

These include higher risk of unmet needs and clinical depression and poorer quality of life, which are associated with difficulty understanding the healthcare system. We have identified barriers to transitioning back to primary care after active treatment. Many patients rely on bilingual GPs as trusted care coordinators, but this workforce is limited. Patient navigation can help overcome individual, provider and systems barriers to accessing quality care in survivorship but there is no available empirical data in Australia.

Goal

Validation of a new approach to improving health outcomes for people with cancer from CALD backgrounds
Reduced barriers to survivorship care & improved health system effectiveness
Increased research capacity among specialist general practitioners
Evidence on cost-effectiveness and implementation learnings to inform practice and policy development

Aim

The PEARL study will assess the effectiveness and implementation of a patient navigation program for 292 people affected by cancer from Vietnamese and Chinese speaking backgrounds using a hybrid Type II trial design, in partnership with community organisations, the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, and Primary Health Networks. We leverage our team’s expertise across primary care, community health, culturally appropriate approaches to healthcare, cancer survivorship, and implementation science. By doing so we address a critical knowledge gap and deliver equitable outcomes in survivorship by ensuring that people with cancer receive the care that they require, when, where and how they need it, regardless of cultural/linguistic background.

Researchers

From Flinders
Associate Professor Carolyn Ee
Professor Ray Chan
Professor Catherine Paterson
Professor Stacey George
Dr Carla Thamm

Research Collaborators
Associate Professor Kylie Vuong
Professor Jon Emery
Associate Professor Cannas Kwok
Dr Suzanne Grant
Professor Freya MacMillan
Mr Eric Yeung
Associate Professor Joel Rhee
Professor Elisabeth Elder
Associate Professor Richard de Abreu Lourenco
Associate Professor Patty Chondros
Associate Professor Kirsty Stuart
Ms Trinh Nguyen
Dr Ash Malalasekera
Professor Larissa Nekhlyudov
Ms Carolyn Taylor
Professor Wei Chua
Associate Professor Kate McBride

Grant Details

MRFF Clinician researchers – Applied Research in Health - $1.47M

Project Lead: Associate Professor Carolyn Ee

Commenced: 2025

Completion due: 2029

Collaborators

CanRevive, Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), Inala Primary Care, Adelaide Primary Health Network, Western Sydney Primary Health Network, South Western Sydney Primary Health Network, World Wellness Group, Tong De Association of South Australia, Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4TG)