ASCO's international cancer corps: Oncology nursing education in Honduras.

Abstract

e19515 Background: Developing countries face a heavy cancer burden. Nurses in oncology care are challenged by lack of resources and training to care for these patients. Volunteer nurses from other nations have been used as clinician/educators on service trips organized by ASCO’s International Cancer Corps and Health Volunteers Overseas. In 2011, a team of four oncology providers, two gynecologic oncologists and two oncology nurses, traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to improve cancer care through education/training and professional development. Methods: The team explored cancer care and oncology nursing in outpatient and inpatient settings, provided training to residents and medical students, and presented the first ever cancer nursing conference in this country. The two-day conference, with over 100 participants from different cities and insitutions, included cancer registry data, treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, symptom management, palliative care and psychosocial concerns. It concluded with a roundtable discussion for future directions. A survey was piloted with conference participants to assess needs for continuing education and professional development. Data were collected from 61 nurses (age, gender, education/training, years in oncology, work settings, access to educational resources, and educational needs). Results: The majority of the nurses (59.7%) learned about cancer care during patient care with <4% having formal training/coursework. The most common cancers were leukemias, breast, cervical, and stomach. The nurses wanted more education about chemotherapy (medications, administration, management of side effects), pain management, palliative care and emotional support. Conclusions: Volunteer oncology providers can improve cancer care in developing countries. Meeting the educational needs requires site-specific exploration of training and resources, and the goals of providers, hospitals, and healthcare organizations in the host country. The survey could be replicated prior to travel to assess the needs of oncology nurses in other developing countries and plan appropriate training programs.