The Medical Oncology Department Case Study

The Medical Oncology Department is operated from the General Hospital, and continues to maintain the importance of providing quality care to the oncology patients and their families. Primarily, care rendered at the Department is usually clinical, with chemotherapy administration. Weekly outpatient clinics were held on Tuesdays, along with monthly outpatient clinics at the Princess Alice Hospital, and quarterly outpatient clinic at the Princess Royal Hospital. The Department was appreciative to have visiting Gynaecologist Oncologist Dr Cosin for offering his services, where his clinics were held in May and November 2017. The office of the Department was relocated to the assigned building, and was operational from the 11th September 2017, while
Resources that can hinder the chemotherapy administration include human resources and drug availability but they are not exclusive. Once not available, can cause a delay in the patient’s treatment plan, which can have a negative impact on their health, and may lead to an increase the mortality rate.

Staffing:
The Medical Oncology Department staff consists of an Oncologist, a Hematologist, and a Nurse Specialist, a Staff Nurse, an Administrative Assistant Secretary, and an assigned pharmacist with training experience in the mixing of cytotoxic drugs.

Challenges:
The Medical Oncology Department throughout the year has experienced numerous challenges that continue to affect the unit greatly in its effectiveness and efficient administration which we believe can be prevented or be dealt with more appropriately. In spite of these insufficiencies, the department continues to offer its services meeting the needs of its growing patients’ population.

These are some of the recurring challenges encountered:

 Decontamination of the chemotherapy
As a result, these can increase one’s ability to develop infection due to the many bacteria which have accumulated in the room. Patients receiving chemotherapy may have a decrease in their white blood cells, which would increase their risk for infection.
• Lack of wireless internet services in the department: Oncology practice is usually based on recent literature, and clinical trials. Due to the lack of wireless internet services in the department, medical staffs are usually challenged, when participating in online lectures and webinars as a group for the enhancement of patient care.
• Unreliable and irresponsible staff: Unreliable people not only let themselves and the team down, they typically drain their manager of precious energy and time. It doesn’t matter how capable someone is, unless they choose to behave successfully their potential is wasted. An employer who chooses to hold these high potential, poor performing employees accountable realize, is that talent is worthless unless effectively