Nurse training project in Vietnam

Having a well-structured nursing education curricula in paediatric oncology that can be adapted at regional/local level is crucial to improve the quality of care for children with cancer. In Vietnam there is no local specialized paediatric oncology nursing curriculum to help prepare nurses to provide safe and high quality paediatric oncology care. Consequently, UICC in partnership with Asian Children's Care League (ACCL) have provided support to a paediatric oncology training project for nurses at Hue Central Hospital- a leading referral hospital in the central region of Vietnam. This is one of the first examples of a systematic approach to designing a specialized nursing curriculum for childhood cancer in the country.

How was the training carried out?

The scope of the training involved principles and guidelines of care, treatment of childhood cancer and infection control, symptom control and management, and administration of medication. Another main component of the project was patient and family education which involved regular discussions with parents to explain treatment procedures as well as infection control and hygiene. The project adopted a ‘train the trainer’ approach whereby nurses were selected to undergo training and subsequently develop and implement a training plan for their colleagues. Two nurses from the Hue Central Hospital paediatric oncology unit (a nurse leader and a clinical nurse) were identified to go through a one-month paediatric oncology training in Singapore in March 2013 at the National University Hospital (NUH) and at KK Hospital. There, they were taught the basics of hygiene, treatment and paediatric oncology, based on a curriculum developed with the help of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, designed for relevance to local reality and requirements. The trained nurses developed a training plan to teach other nursing colleagues the key elements that they acquired during their stay in Singapore. Upon their return to Hue, the nurses led the process of implementing a 12 month training plan with their colleagues.

What was the impact?

Regular self assessments by the nurses and an evaluation of the training by the project team found important improvements in practice such as infection control, sanitation, patient safety, and better communication with patients and parents. The trained nurses have  developed a stronger working relationship with the doctors working in paediatric oncology. They are also starting to take on some tasks that were reserved for doctors in the past, such as measuring medication. As a result of the project, important equipment such as a biological safety cabinet for safely mixing medicines, as well as transfusion and perfusion pumps for patients were also purchased accompanied by training on how to use the equipment safely and effectively. The project demonstrates the benefits of a  ‘train the trainer’ model in enabling nurses to become nurse educators and to applying a well structured nursing education locally.

UICC would like to thank the Eugen and Elisabeth Schellenberg Foundation for their generous support in realizing this project.