Project Lead
Dr Brent Venning
BIO
The purpose of the project is to understand patient preferences and values around expectations for investigations for cancer symptoms at different thresholds in general practice. This relates to the concept of low value care and potential over-testing for clinical scenarios where the likelihood of an undiagnosed cancer is low, and alternative more efficient diagnostic strategies exist (e.g. symptom monitoring and safety-netting). The project includes assessing current practices of diagnostic testing for cancer symptoms, using existing GP datasets, and how these align with clinical practice guidelines for select cancer types. In addition, it seeks to model costs of diagnostic testing at different thresholds of cancer risk and examine consumer trade-offs between diagnostic strategies.
- Venning B. et al., Examining preference for symptomatic testing in primary care, Australian Association for Academic Primary Care, National Conference, 17-18 August 2023, Melbourne, VIC.
- Venning B., Pearce A., Understanding patient preferences for investigating low-risk cancer symptoms in general practice: A discrete choice experiment, 14th Annual Cancer and Primary Care Research International Network (Ca-PRI), 22-24 March 2023, Oxford, UK.
- Venning, B., & Emery, J. Symptomatic cancer diagnosis in general practice: A critical perspective of current guidelines and risk assessment tools, Medical Journal of Australia, 220(9), pp. 446-450.
- Venning, B., Pearce, A., Lourenco, R. D. A., Hall, R., Bergin, R., Lee, A., … & Emery, J. (2024). Patient Preferences for Investigating Cancer-Related Symptoms in Australian General Practice: A Discrete Choice Experiment. British Journal of General Practice.
- Lee, A., McCarthy, D., Bergin, R.J., Drosdowsky, A., Martinez Gutierrez, J., Kearney, C., Philip, S., Rafiq, M., Venning, B., Wawryk, O., Zhang, J. & Emery, J. (2023). Data Resource Profile: Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Data Connect. International Journal of Epidemiology, p.dyad148.
- Venning, B., Bergin, R., Pearce, A., Lee, A., & Emery, J. (2022). Factors affecting patient decisions to undergo testing for cancer symptoms: An exploratory qualitative study in Australian general practice. BJGP Open.
- RACGP Foundation Family Medical Care Education and Research Grant: Exploring patient preferences for the investigation of cancer symptoms in general practice. Value: $19,882
- Part of successful tender to Cancer Australia to Review and update of guidance provided to General Practice on review and initial investigation of patients presenting with common symptoms and tests associated with cancer via updates to Step 2 of the Optimal Care Pathways. Total inc. GST $514,613
- CI on MRFF Evaluation of Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Testing Approaches in Australia, led by CIA Assoc. Prof. Julia Steinberg, University of Sydney. Value: $2,999,910 over 5 years.
- RACGP Foundation Walpole Grieve Award ($ 5000).
- CanTest Travelling Fellowship (covered flights and accommodation to attend CanTest School at Cambridge. (Cancer Research UK)