Cancer Nurses in Africa Finding Their Footing.

David Makumi is an award-winning cancer control leader. The US Oncology Nursing Society. (ONS) awarded him the prestigious Distinguished Award for contribution to cancer care in 2011. The following year, the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care presented him with the Past President Award for his work in designing low-cost models of increasing access to breast cancer screening. David is the East Africa Regional Cancer Programs Manager for the Aga Khan University Hospital. He has been involved in cancer advocacy on policy and legislation for over 10 years. David is currently the Chair of the Kenya Network of Cancer Organizations, thus he represents civil society on the Board of the National Cancer Institute of Kenya. At the international level, David sits on the International Advisory Panel of the ONS. David, a registered nurse, has a Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Care from Dundee University and a Higher Education Diploma in the same from Oxford Brookes University. He has been involved in several initiatives aimed at networking cancer care nurses in Africa to share knowledge, experience, and expertise.

Establishing Palliative Care across the AKDN Health Services: Opportunities and Challenges.

AKDN has one of the most comprehensive private not-for-profit health care systems in the developing world. It has state-of-the-art urban academic tertiary care centers, service hospitals and community based primary care centers spread across the most remote areas of Central and South Asia and East Africa. In response to a global initiative to make palliative care widely available, the AKDN is spearheading the integration of palliative care across its international health network. The scope includes specialist palliative care services in urban tertiary care centers across secondary and outreach programs to home based palliative care services. The ultimate goal is to develop a comprehensive structure of palliative care services which, in addition tofulfilling the vision of quality, also fulfills the needs of the communities that it serves. This article describes the international undertaking; its challenges and the key contextual design principles of the implementation.

Role of the nurse in patient education and follow-up of people receiving oral chemotherapy treatment: an international survey.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the nursing role in education and follow-up of patients who were taking oral chemotherapy (CT) and to identify the worldwide gap in patient education about oral CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer members were invited to participate in a survey on oral CT. Nurse coordinators collected data via a 16-item questionnaire. Respondents totaled 1115 oncology nurses from 15 countries. RESULTS: Findings showed that about half of subjects work in outpatient/ambulatory clinics and had given at least two or more oral CT drugs. Although 52% had some type of guidelines/protocols, 47% reported not having received any education about oral CT drugs. While 64% report being involved in patient education, 58% of subjects indicated lack of patient education materials that are specific for oral CT agents. Only 27% stated that they gave all necessary information such as when and how to take the drugs, drug safety and storage, side effects, and symptom management. Reasons for not being involved in oral CT education and follow-up included beliefs that the physician plans the oral CT and gives patients necessary instructions (34%), that nurses only see patients who receive intravenous chemotherapy (16%), that nurses have lack of knowledge about oral agents (15%), and belief that physicians are responsible for patient follow-up. The nurses suggested better education and follow-up of patients to include the written patient education materials (33%) and professional education for nurses (30%). CONCLUSIONS: Findings revealed the need for professional education for nurses to ensure comprehensive, consistent patient education and development of written materials for patients receiving oral CT treatment.