A narrative review exploring whether the standardisation of interprofessional oncology education in allied health professional (AHP) training programmes could improve referral rates to supportive services

To identify if there are shortcomings in the current oncology knowledge being provided in allied health professional (AHP) training programmes, that could be influencing referral patterns to support services in cancer care. A narrative review was conducted using the databases OVID Medline, Embase, AMED, APA PsycInfo and APA PsycArticles. Using relevant keywords, 54 publications were reviewed of which 24 were considered relevant and a further 15 publications were identified based on the dominant emerging themes. A total of 39 publications are included in the review. Gaps in knowledge influencing referral were identified in five specific areas; Cancer-related fatigue; Nutrition; Psychosocial Wellbeing; Physical functionality and Palliative Care. A lack of cancer-specific education is a common reason cited for lack of referral to support services. Cancer-specific education, including focus on the five identified areas in this review, could be easily integrated into existing interprofessional education (IPE) curricula. Standardisation of this oncology IPE at a national and international level is recommended to enable evaluation of its impact on referral patterns to supportive services.