Potential Role of the Quality Assurance Review Center Platform in Global Radiation Oncology

Ngwa, Wilfred; Ikhile, Emmanuel; Ntekim, Atara; Lasebikan, Nwamaka; Alabi, Adewumi; Shagaya, Uchechukwu N.; Omolara, Fatiregun; Ali-Gombe, Musa; Bojude, Adamu Danladi; Ngoma, Mamsau; Ngoma, Twalib; Bhagwat, Madar; Irabor, Omoruyi Credit; Schoenfeld, Jonathan D.; Nguyen, Paul; Sajo, Erno; Laurie, Fran; Moni, Janaki; Fitzgerald, Thomas J.

doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2017.06.2461

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…2 Currently, US-based Sub-Saharan Africa diasporans are collaborating with the US-based Quality Assurance and Review Center (QARC) to extend QARC support for clinical trials to radiotherapy centers in Africa. 7 While QARC has provided radiation therapy quality assurance services in the United States since 1980, its potential to aid workforce training, treatment planning, and clinical trials in lowresource countries was identified at the diaspora engagement session of a Global Health Catalyst summit and has since become a theme at the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer workshops. 7 Other technological innovations that stirred the interest of diasporans at the Global Health Catalyst summit included an ongoing development of solar-powered linear accelerators, which might better suit LMICs given regions with unstable electricity.…”

Section: Innovationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Framing New Models to Expand Access to Radiotherapy in Limited Resource Settings—Social Entrepreneurship

Irabor

Oladeru

2020

JAMA Oncol

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In recent years, global oncology experts have considered potential models to develop radiotherapy services in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) amid rising need. 1 Radiotherapy is required for definitive and palliative treatment in 50% to 70% of cancer cases in LMICs. While radiotherapy as a modality is less expensive than surgery and systemic therapies for cancer, it remains poorly accessible. Establishing a radiation therapy center is a capital-intensive process that requires detailed strategic and operational planning, quality assurance, workforce development, and structural investments that may exceed the financial capacity of health ministries in some LMICs. 1 Nonetheless, advancements in global oncology are possible through active diasporic participation and investment in radiotherapy infrastructure, as exemplified by a cancer center in Ethiopia built by members of the Ethiopian-American Doctors Group. 2 This Viewpoint responds to proposals that have become apposite to the growth in diasporans' remittance to LMICs in recent years. We discuss the viable diasporic engagement as a model for social entrepreneurship yet to be explored in the discourse on expanding global access to radiotherapy.

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Section: Innovationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Framing New Models to Expand Access to Radiotherapy in Limited Resource Settings—Social Entrepreneurship

Irabor

Oladeru

2020

JAMA Oncol

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“…While the value of physical interaction and on‐site training is not in question, the COVID‐19 pandemic, which shut down many borders and almost halted international travel, forced us to think creatively about how to provide training and support for the LMIC institutions that request it. Remote access through a secured network to actively engage professionals with reviewing plans and treatment and auditing activities has been discussed before 7,8 . One group 9 provided good‐practice guidelines for remote medical consultation, while another discussed the adaptation of education and research on telehealth 10 as lessons learned in the era of COVID‐19.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Remote access through a secured network to actively engage professionals with reviewing plans and treatment and auditing activities has been discussed before. 7,8 One group 9 provided goodpractice guidelines for remote medical consultation, while another discussed the adaptation of education and research on telehealth 10 as lessons learned in the era of COVID-19. A recent paper 11 discussed the successful implementation of a distant-learning clinical research mentorship between Canada and Ghana.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving practice in global healthcare: Remote physics support for low‐ and middle‐income countries

Wadi-Ramahi

Waqqad

et al. 2023

J Applied Clin Med Phys

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional onsite support for radiotherapy clinics in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). Clinics there have struggled to commission new techniques and receive onsite training for their staff. We sought to evaluate whether an offsite approach could fill this gap at a clinic in Jordan by requesting a clinical audit and attempting to commission volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Over 13 months, a consultant provided remote support for a radiotherapy center that had already obtained treatment equipment and licenses. The consultant began by conducting a virtual audit, using a remote login to the center's R&V and TPS, to identify any gaps in the clinical workflow. Suggestions for improving the clinical workflow were proposed, and change implementation was tracked through emails, social media apps, and video conferencing. An extensive table outlined the commissioning process, including all measurements to be done. Social media apps and shared documents were used to track measurements and analysis. The lack of person-to-person interaction in this new remote-support ecosystem created conflicts; we have highlighted some of these, as well as their resolution and the lessons learned from them. The virtual audit identified gaps categorized as machine QA, treatment plan review, and treatment delivery processes. Following the implementation of the proposals, motion management was added, and machine QA became more comprehensive.VMAT was commissioned using the reports of the AAPM and the IAEA. The main challenges for remote support were time difference, establishing an appropriate form and frequency of communication, tone of voice used in messages, and buy-in from local staff. This evolving practice will enable medical physicists to use modern, multimodal remote communication pathways to effectively transfer knowledge to centers in LMICs. The audit-proposal-improvement pathway for remote support can be incorporated to help others while avoiding the pitfalls we faced.

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“…In response to these challenges, virtual oncology education and training have been suggested as tools for workforce development in Africa [2,4,5]. Virtual education, also known as electronic learning (e-Learning), refers to the instruction in a learning environment where the trainer and the trainee are separated by time or space, or both, and the trainer provides course content through an information and communications technology (ICT) platform that utilises course management applications, multimedia modules, the Internet, video conferencing, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using advanced information and communication technologies to advance oncology education in Africa

Asana

Irabor

Seppo

et al. 2021

ecancer

Self Cite

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Background: Recent work has highlighted the tremendous potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in advancing global oncology education, research and care. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the development of effective approaches for online education even more crucial. Here we assessed the readiness, interest and potential models for effective implementation of ICT-powered oncology education in Africa. Methods: Building on previous work by the African Organisation for Research andTraining in Cancer (AORTIC), a survey was conducted to assess the electronic learning (e-Learning) readiness of oncology health professionals using an online self-assessment tool. Components of e-Learning readiness assessed include access to computers, Internet, appropriate bandwidth and interest. As a practical test model, an ICT resource-intensive radiation oncology training programme was implemented via the Global Oncology University (GO-U) collaborative education platform. An analysis of results, challenges and opportunities resulting from these is discussed for advancing online oncology education in Africa. Results:The survey showed over 92% of health professionals have access to computers, laptops or other technology that can allow them to participate in online education. Over 45% of oncology health professionals have already participated in some form of online education. Interest in online education was over 93%. Models for effective online learning in oncology include synchronous and asynchronous short-term courses for continuous education and long-term degree and residency programmes. There was a significant increase in skills level following the collaborative radiation oncology training model used by the GO-U platform. Conclusion:Africa has the capacity to implement successful e-Learning in oncology, which is consistent with findings in previous work such as the AORTIC. Greater investment by institutions and governments is needed in terms of resources and policy changes to facilitate the implementation of effective online oncology training. Purposeful engagement of diaspora oncology health professionals with relevant cultural backgrounds as with some current collaborative efforts is highly recommended in helping turn brain drain into brain circulation.

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Potential Role of the Quality Assurance Review Center Platform in Global Radiation Oncology

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Framing New Models to Expand Access to Radiotherapy in Limited Resource Settings—Social Entrepreneurship

Framing New Models to Expand Access to Radiotherapy in Limited Resource Settings—Social Entrepreneurship

Evolving practice in global healthcare: Remote physics support for low‐ and middle‐income countries

Using advanced information and communication technologies to advance oncology education in Africa

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