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Outpatient Chemotherapy Administration: Decreasing Wait Times for Patients and Families

555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8eleanor.hendershot{at}sickkids.ca

Cory Murphy, BScN, RN

Sandra Doyle, MScN, RN

Outpatient Haematology/Oncology Clinic, Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Judy Van-Clieaf, MScN, RN

Haematology/Oncology/BMT/Immunology/Allergy, Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jane Lowry, RN

Outpatient Haematology/Oncology Clinic, Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Lisa Honeyford, MN, RN

Leukemia Lymphoma Program, Division of Haematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Increasingly, there is a trend to deliver chemotherapy, where possible, in the outpatient ambulatory setting. In the few studies that have explored the setting of cancer care, long wait times are frequently linked to dissatisfaction. Several factors contribute to lengthy waiting times for patients and their families: long registration processes, lag times associated with obtaining laboratory results, time required for patient assessments and preparation of chemotherapeutic agents, adequacy of nursing resources, and physical space constraints in relation to patient volumes. With the goal of improving care delivery in the outpatient clinic, a fast-tracking system was established. Program planning included establishing patient eligibility criteria, protocol and treatment appropriateness, interdepartmental collaboration, development of a communication plan for families and staff, negotiation of physical space, and allocation of human resources. This was instituted by reallocating existing resources and establishing an autonomous nurse-managed chemotherapy clinic. This fast-tracking program has enabled us to use our existing resources with greater efficiency and improve patient care from safety and quality-of-life perspectives for those included in the program.

Key Words: pediatric • chemotherapy • waiting times • outpatient • satisfaction

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Vol. 22, No. 1, 31-37 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1043454204272539


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