We are pleased to announce that the first PhD paper by Katrin Schäfer, PhD Student and Research Assistant at the Medical University of Vienna, based on research conducted within the CO-CAPTAIN project, has been published in Frontiers in Public Health: “Although I’m mentally ill, that doesn’t mean that I’m not also physically ill” – barriers, facilitators and diagnostic overshadowing in healthcare for individuals with lived experience of mental ill-health.
This publication presents key findings from the qualitative interviews carried out across the four pilot countries of the project. These interviews involved a wide range of stakeholders, including people experiencing mental ill-health, healthcare professionals, caregivers and service providers, offering a comprehensive view of the current landscape of cancer prevention for this population.
The study explores in depth the barriers and facilitators influencing access to primary cancer prevention, shedding light on structural, organisational and individual-level challenges. Among the key issues identified are fragmentation between services, limited coordination between mental health and preventive care, stigma, and gaps in tailored communication and support.
At the same time, the research highlights important opportunities to improve prevention, such as the role of integrated care approaches, stronger collaboration across sectors, and the potential of Patient Navigation models to guide individuals through complex health systems.
By capturing real-world experiences and perspectives, this work contributes to bridging the gap between research and practice, providing evidence that directly informs the design and implementation of the CO-CAPTAIN intervention. In particular, the findings have played a central role in shaping the co-adapted Patient Navigation model for primary cancer prevention, ensuring that it responds to the needs of those it aims to support.
This publication represents a significant milestone for the project, reinforcing CO-CAPTAIN’s commitment to evidence-based, person-centred and inclusive cancer prevention strategies. It also contributes to the broader scientific discussion on how to address health inequalities and improve access to prevention services for underserved populations.
Authors:
Katrin Schäfer, Igor Grabovac, Hanna M. Mües, Magdalena Agnieszka Wrzesińska, Magdalena Kostyła, Jarosław Rakoczy, Rosa Gomez Trenado, Cristina Fernández García, Marta Pisano González, Noelia Mancebo Salas, Thanos Gogos, Ioanna Zioga, Vasiliki Radaios, Alejandro Gil-Salmeron.
Schäfer K, Mües HM, Wrzesińska MA, Kostyła M, Rakoczy J, Gomez Trenado R, Fernández García C, Pisano González M, Mancebo Salas N, Gogos T, Zioga I, Radaios V, Gil-Salmeron A and Grabovac I (2026) “Although I’m mentally ill, that doesn’t mean that I’m not also physically ill” – barriers, facilitators and diagnostic overshadowing in healthcare for individuals with lived experience of mental ill-health. Front. Public Health 14:1739409. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1739409
