Aim
To identify and capture data on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities within Victorian cancer services to assist with the effective allocation of resources.
Methods
A round table discussion is scheduled for September 2023, bringing together stakeholders who have worked with or within CALD communities, and representatives from cancer services. A scoping paper on the current research on barriers faced by individuals within these communities from accessing and experiencing quality healthcare services and a data dictionary collating the recommended National Standards for Statistics on Cultural and Language Diversity will be presented. Main discussion topics include equity in cancer care and outcomes, measuring and reporting of diversity based on the lived experiences of the CALD community, defining the CALD population, identifying barriers to CALD data collection at various levels (hospital, state, and national), and introducing strategies to overcome these barriers.
Results
The goal is to establish standardised data collection practices that will facilitate a better understanding of the systemic barriers within the cancer sector that CALD communities face.
Conclusions
Establishing baseline data on how CALD data is currently collected within Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance health services can identify shortcomings and areas for improvements. This will help define what dataset should be collected to help achieve better health outcomes and increase equity in cancer care for the broader CALD community.