A sustainable model for pediatric oncology nursing education in low‐income countries

Abstract

Effectiveness of a nurse educator in the pediatric oncology unit in Guatemala was assessed by measuring completion of an education course, chemotherapy and central line competency, continuing education, and cost. All newly hired nurses completed the education course. Of the nurses employed, 86% participated in the chemotherapy course, and 93% achieved competency; 57% participated in the central line course, and 79% achieved competency. The nurses completed a mean of 26 hours continuing education yearly. The annual direct cost of the educator ($244/nurse) was markedly less than other models. This is an effective sustainable means to educate nurses in low-income countries.

Global Pediatric Oncology: Lessons From Partnerships Between High-Income Countries and Low- to Mid-Income Countries

“…Reduced staff turnover and nurse-topatient ratios that are based on the acuity of care also demonstrated the achievement of highly professional nursing, a fundamental and imperative element of quality pediatric oncology care. 16,17 Other specialty services, including pathology, radiation therapy, flow cytometry, blood products, and imaging, are provided via partnerships and service agreements in Guatemala City. In 2014, 498 patients were seen for the first time at UNOP.…”

Supportive medical care for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in low- and middle-income countries

“…Models to improve the quality of nursing care through specialized education include partnership with established pediatric cancer units, lecture series, regional training schools and development of pediatric oncology nurse educator positions, as demonstrated in Latin America [33][34][35][36]. Establishment of the pediatric oncology nurse educator position led to cost-effective ongoing nursing education and documented competence in key skills, peripheral and central venous catheter management and chemotherapy administration [32,37].…”

“…In LMIC, the need for culturally sensitive and languageappropriate pediatric oncology nursing education has been well documented [24,32,33]. Models to improve the quality of nursing care through specialized education include partnership with established pediatric cancer units, lecture series, regional training schools and development of pediatric oncology nurse educator positions, as demonstrated in Latin America [33][34][35][36].…”

Educational Needs and Strategies of Pediatric Oncology Nurses in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…St Jude Children's Research Hospital has also introduced and evaluated a nurse educator position in Guatemala. 3 In Jordan, a clinical nurse coordinator position has been recently developed for pediatric neuro-oncology and ocular oncology. 4 Although there are existing oncology nursing curricula, for example, World Health Organization Europe, 5 the Oncology Nursing Society, 6 and Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nursing 7 in the United States, a review of the literature suggested that no pediatric oncology curriculum has been developed based on the self-identified needs and recommendations of LMIC nurses.…”