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Clinical Trial
. 2025 Apr 16;25(1):710.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-025-14064-5.

Advancing the implementation of quality-assured oncological exercise therapy in Germany: protocol for the IMPLEMENT project

Mirko Brandes #  1 , Anika Berling-Ernst #  2 , Hansjoerg Baurecht  3   4 , Wiebke Jensen  5 , Miriam Götte  6 , Anne Herrmann  4   7   8 , Daniela Fuhr  1   9 , Heike Schmidt  10 , Antonia Lucas  11 , Bernardine Madl  12 , Simon Elmers  5 , Thorsten Schmidt  11 , Christine Welker  3 , Andre Golla  13 , Annalena Wehner  14   8 , Dominik Morlok  4 , Jana Rueter  4 , Janina Meuer  1 , Melanie Reitz  15 , Jane Kersten  15 , Rebecca Zimmer  16 , Yvonne Gadczikowske  1 , Renee Stark  17 , Kathrin Hegenberg  17 , Michael Laxy  17 , Martin Halle  12   18 , Patrick Jahn  13 , Carsten Bokemeyer  5 , Sebastian Theurich  14   8 , Hajo Zeeb  1   9 , Michael Leitzmann  3 , Freerk T Baumann  15 ; IMPLEMENT consortium
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Advancing the implementation of quality-assured oncological exercise therapy in Germany: protocol for the IMPLEMENT project

Mirko Brandes et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Although quality-assured oncological exercise therapy (qOET) has proven effective for cancer patients at any stage of treatment and during aftercare, it is not yet incorporated into standard care in Germany and, to the best of our knowledge, in any other country. A collaboration involving eight German research institutions was initiated to investigate the barriers and facilitators to implementation and promote the wider dissemination of qOET for cancer patients across various settings in Germany.

Methods: The IMPLEMENT project is designed as an exploratory study with a quasi-experimental design and a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. Institutions involved in the treatment and/or aftercare of cancer patients will be approached to identify key barriers and facilitators of qOET. Based on these findings, a set of implementation strategies (IPS) will be developed, implemented, and evaluated to facilitate the delivery of qOET for cancer patients. We aim to develop a variety of IPS for different contexts: urban settings (e.g. qualifying local aftercare institutions to provide qOET); rural settings (e.g. a hybrid approach for areas with limited access to local qOET services); adult cancer patients (e.g. focussing on patient education); and children and young cancer patients (e.g. offering consultations with training therapy experts). Additionally, interface management, training concepts, digital support, and economic evaluation will be considered to further promote the wider dissemination of qOET. The impact of the IPS will primarily be measured by the reach of qOET, assessed by comparing the number of cancer patients receiving qOET before and after implementation.

Discussion: The aim of IMPLEMENT is to address key barriers and facilitators for the implementation of qOET in Germany, and to increase the number of cancer patients receiving qOET in the long term. Following the project, successful IPS will be disseminated for broader application. The IMPLEMENT consortium aims to make a significant contribution to the long-term integration of qOET into the standard care of cancer patients in Germany and prospectively for other countries as well.

Trial registration: Clin.

Trials: NCT06496711. German Clinical Trial Register (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien - DRKS): 00032292. Bavarian Cancer Research Center (Bayerisches Krebsforschungszentrum (BZKF bzw. ZKS): DZ-2024-2165-9.

Keywords: Cancer; Implementation; Oncological exercise therapy; Strategies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethics approval for IMPLEMENT was initially obtained from the University of Bremen, Germany (ref. 2023-16). All participating institutions received ethics approval from their respective ethics committees based on this initial authorization. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Structure of the overall IMPLEMENT project and subprojects (SP). AYAs: adolescents and young adults, aged 18–39 years. Adults: aged 40 + years
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overall schedule of the IMPLEMENT project. IPS = implementation strategies; qOET = quality-assured oncological exercise therapy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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