Development of a rehabilitation programme for young adult cancer survivors using co-production

Abstract

Young adult cancer survivors, defined as persons aged 18–39 who have completed primary curative treatment, constitute a unique group, as they are in a particular life phase forming the foundations of their lives. As a result, they face distinct age-specific challenges in their everyday life related to education, work, and social activities, which negatively impact their quality of life. Rehabilitation may address these challenges, however there is a lack of rehabilitation programmes specifically tailored for young adult cancer survivors. This paper describes the co-production and development of an age-specific and municipality-based cancer rehabilitation programme to improve young adult cancer survivors’ self-efficacy and health-related quality of life. The development included the following steps: (1) reviewing existing literature on cancer rehabilitation programmes for young adults and consulting with relevant stakeholders to gain insights into the target population and the context for implementation; (2) conducting four workshops involving 2–6 young adults, 3–4 professionals, and two researchers and one workshop with 20 young adults and two researchers to co-produce the programmes name, component content, delivery methods, and potential outcomes; and (3) Refine of the programme description. The co-produced programme, Young Adults Taking ACtion, includes one mandatory session for needs identification and goal setting that guides which of the following sessions the young adult cancer survivors will receive: (1) Everyday life, (2) Physical activity, (3) Psychological issues, (4) Education and work, (5) Sexuality and relationships, (6) Funding and grant, and (7) Family and friends.