title: Planning and problem solving. Strategy for opening an oncology/chemotherapy unit.
abstract: The world-wide nursing shortage is resulting in institutions all over the world recruiting nurses from other countries with varying nursing skill levels and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for international institutions to adopt, to ensure continued quality care for oncology patients. At King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, nurses have been recruited from over 25 different countries. Many of these nurses have never cared for oncology patients or given chemotherapy. A framework combining the strategies of planning and problem-solving was utilized to operationalize this unit in a multicultural setting. Cultural variants related to caring for Saudi patients by a multinational work force with differing cultural backgrounds as well as differing educational programs for nurses was reviewed in terms of their impact on staffing an oncology unit. An oncology/chemotherapy certification course was developed to document the competency of these multinational nurses to administer chemotherapy and to provide safe quality care to oncology patients.
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011340:Problem Solving; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D016746:Transcultural Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology