State of oncology nursing training and practice in a southwestern Nigerian teaching hospital

Abstract

Background and objective: Oncology nursing is a recognized nursing specialty globally but it is yet to be a stand-alone specialty in any accredited degree awarding tertiary institution in Nigeria as at the time of this write up. In most of the hospitals in Nigeria, non-specialist oncology nurses who learn on the job care for the cancer patients. Hence, the urgent need to conduct this study. The aim of this study was to study the state of oncology nursing training and practice in Nigeria.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was used to assess 171 nurses’ socio-demographic data, nature of their oncology training, and competency level using a semi-structured questionnaire.Results: Only 3 (1.8%) of the respondents claimed they had a degree in oncology nursing and 89.9% had no formal training in oncology. Few of the respondents (13.5%) rated themselves as experts in oncology nursing practise. Majority of the respondents see the state of oncology nursing practise as very poor with the major challenge being none availability of oncology nursing training institution.Conclusions and implication for study: With the increasing incidence of cancer in Nigeria and rise in number of new cases daily, there is need for an established programme to train health care professionals especially nurses to combat its increasing rate. There is need for provision of oncology nurse specialist training to improve level of education and skills in order to offer appropriate care to clients living with cancer and improve patient’s outcome of survival ultimately enhancing their quality of life.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of chemotherapy management among nurses at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

“…In the United States (US) and other high-income countries, oncology nursing is a specialty practice in hospitals where RNs contribute to the care and clinical outcomes of oncology patients. 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 At Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, RNs do not receive specialty oncology training. The current practice at OAUTH is that physicians (MDs) prepare and administer chemotherapy.…”

“… 12 Unfortunately, there is a lack of formalized oncology training programs in Nigeria, which prevents nurses there from taking on this role. 8 …”

“…Because of this, RNs learn about oncology care on the job. 8 In a literature report by Adjumo et al. (2021), they reported that there are knowledge gaps related to cancer care.…”

“…Authors revealed that 89% of nurses at a Nigerian teaching hospital who were caring for oncology patients had no formal training in oncology. 8 Nigerian RNs report that in the oncology setting, they rate their nursing practices as poor and identify a lack of formal training as the reason for this poor care. 8 In Nigeria, opportunities for nurses to engage in formal oncology education are rare.…”

Paediatric oncology nursing education and training programmes: a scoping review protocol

“…Unlike HICs and some LMICs, where nurses are given an orientation education programme when newly hired or allocated to paediatric oncology settings, many LMICs, do not have such education and training opportunities 15 19. Nurses learn to deal with complexities of cancer management on the job through experience, intuition and doctors’ instructions 20 21. With lack of specialty training, nurses may not be familiar with aspects of care specific to patients with cancer and this may negatively affect the outcomes of care 22…”