History and Current State of Radiation Oncology Services and Practice in Jordan

Khader, Jamal; Mousa, A. Al; Al-Kayed, Samir; Mahasneh, Hana; Mubaidin, Rasmi; Nassir, Nabeel Al; Khatib, Sami; Qasem, Adnan; Haddadin, Inad; Elayan, Elayan; Khatib, Sondos Al

doi:10.1200/go.20.00074

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…As a result, four cancer care facilities with cutting-edge technology has been successfully established as shown in Fig. 6.7 [5].…”

Section: No Of Casesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 1967, the radiology department at the Ashrafeh hospital (AL Basheer Now) was expanded with the arrival of its first external beam radiotherapy machines that used gamma rays from cobalt-60 to treat cancer cells [5]. The MOH had no qualified radiation oncologists until 1974 when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hired a Polish radiation oncologist to work at Al Basheer Hospital (Ashrafeh at that time).…”

Section: No Of Casesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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General Oncology Care in Jordan

Khatib

Nimri

2022

Cancer in the Arab World

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As Jordanians celebrate the 100th years (1921–2021) anniversary of the state of Jordan, a centenary of achievements and successes of those populations, which is equivalent to 0.13% of the total world inhabitants (Jordan Population, worldometers.info 2021), cancer burden in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a challenge, as well as a success. Despite several initiatives, Jordan does not have an endorsed National Cancer Control Strategic Plan (NCCP), which is one of the top primacies in the national cancer control issue in Jordan.Cancer care in Jordan is well established and attentive on the treatment section, with more effort needed on other elements of the cancer continuum. Jordan has a national cancer registry. However, it is not enough to collect complete, accurate, and timely cancer data.In Jordan, the government bears the cost of treating cancer patients. Cancer treatment is offered at no cost to all Jordanian citizens holding a national number through public hospitals of the MOH mainly in Al Basheer Hospital. The Royal Medical Services (military), university hospitals, and King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) treat the cancer patients with special arrangements of acquittal health exemption from the royal court or the health insurance administration to cover the cost of the treatment. A full spectrum of treatment is available in the private health sector too.The health care system in Jordan is one of the best reputable and trustworthy prominent health care systems in the MENA region, if not, it is globally well known. Wide-ranging oncology care is available in many public and private hospitals and health care facilities and clinics. Jordan will always be open to all its Arab fellows, at the same time open for new and up-to-date innovations, cooperation, and collaboration with cancer scholars.

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“…As a result, four cancer care facilities with cutting-edge technology has been successfully established as shown in Fig. 6.7 [5].…”

Section: No Of Casesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: No Of Casesmentioning

confidence: 99%

General Oncology Care in Jordan

Khatib

Nimri

2022

Cancer in the Arab World

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“…The most prevalent cancer in females is breast followed by colorectal, whereas in men it is lung followed by colorectal. There are four operational radiation oncology departments in the country, with only two offering intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment and one offering volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment 14 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are four operational radiation oncology departments in the country, with only two offering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment and one offering volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment. 14 This work describes the effort to provide a full clinical audit and support for commissioning VMAT in one of Jordan's cancer centers in a remote-support, multimodal ecosystem. The hardships and lessons learned are highlighted, as this experience is new in our professional field.We present the work as a proposed roadmap that can be adapted for future remote consultation work.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving practice in global healthcare: Remote physics support for low‐ and middle‐income countries

Wadi-Ramahi

Waqqad

et al. 2023

J Applied Clin Med Phys

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional onsite support for radiotherapy clinics in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). Clinics there have struggled to commission new techniques and receive onsite training for their staff. We sought to evaluate whether an offsite approach could fill this gap at a clinic in Jordan by requesting a clinical audit and attempting to commission volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Over 13 months, a consultant provided remote support for a radiotherapy center that had already obtained treatment equipment and licenses. The consultant began by conducting a virtual audit, using a remote login to the center's R&V and TPS, to identify any gaps in the clinical workflow. Suggestions for improving the clinical workflow were proposed, and change implementation was tracked through emails, social media apps, and video conferencing. An extensive table outlined the commissioning process, including all measurements to be done. Social media apps and shared documents were used to track measurements and analysis. The lack of person-to-person interaction in this new remote-support ecosystem created conflicts; we have highlighted some of these, as well as their resolution and the lessons learned from them. The virtual audit identified gaps categorized as machine QA, treatment plan review, and treatment delivery processes. Following the implementation of the proposals, motion management was added, and machine QA became more comprehensive.VMAT was commissioned using the reports of the AAPM and the IAEA. The main challenges for remote support were time difference, establishing an appropriate form and frequency of communication, tone of voice used in messages, and buy-in from local staff. This evolving practice will enable medical physicists to use modern, multimodal remote communication pathways to effectively transfer knowledge to centers in LMICs. The audit-proposal-improvement pathway for remote support can be incorporated to help others while avoiding the pitfalls we faced.

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