CAREWAY is a European project funded under the Erasmus+ Programme. It aims to improve adults’ access to reliable, understandable and user-friendly information on cancer, with a particular focus on people in vulnerable situations.
“Gaps in cancer literacy: a transnational synthesis” is the first report to be published and made publicly available, presenting a comprehensive overview of how cancer information is made available, as well as existing cancer-related resources and initiatives, and identifying some gaps that may limit people’s ability to access, understand and use reliable cancer information.
The document is based on a literature review carried out in the five project countries — Finland, Poland, Portugal, Romania and the Netherlands. The analysis explored the cancer information currently available to different audiences and took into account aspects such as accessibility, communication formats, information sources, adaptation to the target audience, multilingual availability and guidance for professionals.
Carina Dantas, CEO and Principal Investigator at SHINE, notes that “there is a great deal of information, but it is not always easy to access, use and understand. People continue to find it difficult to navigate information that is scattered, technical or poorly adapted. Although there is a significant amount of information online – for example, on screening programmes – the report shows that this information is not always easy to find, understand or apply in everyday life.”
Ângela Freitas, the project manager, highlights two further points, noting “the need to make the language clear and present it in more accessible and inclusive formats, as the report shows that most of the available resources are still presented in very text-heavy formats and, at times, using language that is too technical or clinical. In all the countries analysed, there was a clear need to make content more visual, simple and interactive, such as videos, infographics or materials adapted to different levels of health literacy.”
She adds that sexuality and intimacy remain topics that are rarely addressed in the cancer care experience. “Although these are important aspects of quality of life, there are few public resources and clear guidelines to support healthcare professionals in discussing this topic with patients and cancer survivors.”
Six gaps common to the 5 countries
Despite differences between national contexts, the literature review identified six recurring gaps across the five countries:
1. Lack of a coherent user journey across information pathways
2. Limited use of diverse, engaging and accessible communication formats
3. Imbalance in the distribution of information sources
4. Limited targeting and audience adaptation of content
5. Limited provision of authoritative guidance for professionals on communicating about sexuality and intimacy
6. Limited multilingual availability of screening information for migrant populations
The results show that improving cancer literacy is not just a matter of providing more information, but of ensuring that this information is clear, reliable, accessible, easy to find and tailored to the needs of different audiences.
The findings of this report are informing the development of educational resources within the CAREWAY project, with the aim of improving cancer literacy and facilitating access to high-quality, reliable information.
Download the full report here: https://carewayproject.eu/resources/