CAPhO 2024 Concurrent: Improving Chemotherapy Safety in a Ugandan Hospital - A Personal Experience

Rapidly progressive, pediatric, Burkitt Lymphoma is an endemic health concern in many sub-Saharan African countries.  Optimal outcomes are complicated by many of the challenges Canadians might expect such as a lack of modern diagnostics and the limited treatment options afforded by the WHO essential medicines list.    However, additional difficulties such as poor recognition of a malignant process leading to late presentation, limitations in supportive care measures, malnutrition, practicality of a parent’s extended stay, and various chemotherapy safety concerns also exist.  

Session Learning Outcomes: 
By the end of this session, the attendee will be able to: 
1. Appreciate the various types of resource limitations that exist in a remote hospital within a low or low-middle income country. 
2. Describe the impact to care for cancer patients when resources are limited 
3. Explain opportunities to improve chemotherapy safety for patients, family, and staff in under-resourced hospitals
4. Critically reflect on the privileges in our practice and health care system that we may have under-recognized in the past