Integrated Cancer Services in Thailand: A Prototype for Excellence

Services Provided to the Community The center followed Thailand's national "7-branch" Cancer Service Plan, focusing specifically on the first two foundational branches for this pilot phase :Cancer Prevention and Risk Reduction: Counseling on healthy lifestyle modifications. Programs to reduce tobacco and alcohol use. Education regarding the HPV vaccine. General health literacy promotion to help people understand their risks. Cancer Screening and Early Detection: Clinical breast exams to check for abnormalities. Cervical cancer screening. Colorectal cancer screening. Risk assessments and established protocols to refer patients to major hospitals if abnormalities were found.

The other five branches-diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, informatics, and research-were supported through integrated referral pathways rather than being performed directly at the community unit.

Digital Innovation and Technology: A key feature of the center was the use of health information technology to bridge the gap between patients and providers. These tools included: Mobile Health Applications: Used for tracking symptoms and providing educational outreach. Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Facilitated real-time data sharing among the care team.

Virtual Consultations: Allowed for remote support and counseling. Artificial Intelligence (AI): The center planned for future integration of AI to assist in more accurate and efficient cancer screening

Inclusion criteria

• Group 1: Service Recipients

This group included patients and their family members who received services at the prototype center. The criteria for inclusion were the following:

Age: Must be 20 years or older. Capacity: Must be able to express their opinions regarding the comprehensive cancer services.

Consent: Must be willing to participate in the research study. Group 2: Service Providers

This group consisted of 30 healthcare professionals (such as physicians, nurses, and pharmacists) directly involved in delivering care. The criteria for inclusion were:

,Age and Sex: Must be at least 20 years old; there were no restrictions regarding sex.

Professional Status: Must be actively providing services at the Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Excellence or its affiliated network facilities.

Knowledge Base: Must possess specific knowledge of the center's administrative and service systems.

Consent: Must express a willingness to participate in the study. Group 3: Cancer Care Experts

This group included 15 experts (administrators, academics, and researchers) who provided qualitative evaluation. The criteria for inclusion were:

Professional Experience: Must have a minimum of five years of experience in the field of cancer care.

Expertise: Must have the ability to provide deep insights into comprehensive cancer services.

Consent: Must be willing to participate in the research. Note: There were no restrictions regarding the sex or age of these experts.

Exclusion criteria

• Group 1 (Service Recipients): Participants were required to be at least 20 years old, have the ability to express their opinions regarding the center's services, and be willing to participate in the study.

Group 2 (Service Providers): Eligible healthcare professionals had to be at least 20 years old, be actively providing services at the prototype center or its affiliated facilities, and possess specific knowledge of the center's administrative and service systems.

Group 3 (Cancer Care Experts): These individuals were required to have a minimum of five years of experience in cancer care and the capacity to provide deep insights into comprehensive cancer services. The sources note there were no restrictions regarding the sex or age of these experts