Oncology Pharmacist Mentorship, A Model For Training And Continued Mentorship To Pharmacists And Pharmaceutical Technologists In Resource Constrained Settings

8^th Edition of International Conference on Clinical and Medical Oncology

June 23-24, 2022 | Webinar

Collins Saina, Stephen Karuru, Caroline chemweno, Evance Seko, Fredrick Chite

International Cancer Institute, USA

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: JCST

Abstract :

Cancer is the third leading cause of death according to the Kenya cancer policy reports. The incidences have increased from 37,000 cases to 47,887 from 2012 through 2018.Despite the increasing burden and mushrooming oncology centers, there is paucity of specialized oncology programs to upskill the pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists to cater for the unmet need in Kenya. We aim to evaluate the oncology mentorship model used in upskilling pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists in resource limited setting s in Kenya. Methods A three to four months short oncology course was developed by the International Cancer Institute (ICI), for pharmaceutical technologist and pharmacist between centers with trained oncology pharmacists and counties that are setting up oncology units. Moreover, the monitoring and evaluation team supported the training with tools, including sending the pharmacist to oncology centers for further in-job training and mentorship for six months. Results A total of 10(56%) pharmacists and 8(44%) pharmaceutical technologists, 11(61%) male and 7(39%) female from 15 counties in Kenya have been trained. Conclusion Oncology pharmacy short courses and Capacity building through on job training and mentorship by the specialized Oncology pharmacist to pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists has shown improved and access to oncology care in low middleincome resource settings over a shorter duration of time.