Browsing by Author "Sabantini, Memory Tiwonge"

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    Health care workers’ nutritional care practices in Paediatric Oncology Units at Kamuzu and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospitals
    (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, 2021-02-10) Sabantini, Memory Tiwonge
    Type of study: This is a cross sectional study Study problem: Malnutrition, particularly undernutrition is a poor prognostic factor in children with cancer. Over 50% of children admitted in Paediatric oncology units in Malawi are malnourished and just like in many low and middle income countries(LMIC) where malnutrition in childhood cancer is also significant, survival rate is low. An already high prevalence of primary malnutrition has shown to exacerbate malnutrition in cancer in LMIC. Studies conducted across the Globe have demonstrated that proper nutritional interventions improve a child’s nutritional status and promotes survival in childhood cancer and that calls for a proper nutritional management plan which most oncology units, especially in the western world are striving to achieve. In Malawi however, there are no guidelines that specifically look at the management of malnutrition in cancer children and the current nutritional care practices remain unclear. Broad Objective: To evaluate health care workers’(HCW) nutritional care practices in paediatric oncology units at Kamuzu and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospitals. Specific Objectives i. To examine the criteria, screening tools and assessments that HCW employ to identify malnourished children at KCH and QECH Paediatric oncology units. ii. To assess the nutritional support and treatment interventions that HCW provide to malnourished children at KCH and QECH Paediatric oncology units. iii. To assess the discharge criteria and follow up care of malnourished children at QECH and KCH Paediatric oncology units. iv. To explore HCW’s perceived barriers and facilitators to providing nutritional care interventions to malnourished children at KCH and QECH Paediatric oncology units Methodology: This is a qualitative study in which in-depth interviews will be conducted among health care workers (Nurses, clinicians and Doctors) working in the pediatric oncology units at both Kamuzu and Queen Elizabeth central hospitals using a semi-structured interview guide. Purposive sampling will be used to select 30 most experienced health personnel in the units and the interviews will be audiotaped. The collected data will then be transcribed, coded and themes will be generated. The collected data shall also be stored in a secure location. Constraints: Participating in an interview that lasts more than 30 minutes may be deemed as time consuming and other health care workers may feel the need to rather attend to patients than spend time being interviewed. Others may also feel the need to not be truthful so as to portray a good picture of best practices on themselves which would affect the results of the study Expected findings: This study expects to find inconsistencies in the provision of nutritional care among individual health care workers as well as between the two facilities and also non-adherence to the current National nutritional guidelines. Dissemination of results: Copies of this study will be shared with both study sites as well as COMREC. The results of this study shall be disseminated through VIVA at College of Medicine and will also be presented at one KCH Paediatric Oncology Wednesday meetings, Global Hope Nursing Echo seminars as well as at International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) 2022 conference. In addition, these findings are also intended to be published in a journal article.