title: Development of multi-disciplinary breast cancer care in Southern Malawi.
abstract: The Edinburgh Malawi Breast Cancer Project, a collaborative partnership project between the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) Oncology Unit, Blantyre, Malawi and the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, UK, was established in 2015. The principal objective of the project is to help to develop high quality multi-disciplinary breast cancer care in Malawi. A needs assessment identified three priority areas for further improvement of breast cancer services: multi-disciplinary working, development of oestrogen receptor (ER) testing and management of clinical data. A 3-year project plan was implemented which has been conducted through a series of reciprocal training visits. Key achievements to date have been: (1) Development of a new specialist breast care nursing role; (2) Development of multi-disciplinary meetings; (3) Completion of a programme of oncology nursing education; (4) Development of a clinical database that enables prospective collection of data of all new patients with breast cancer; (5) Training of local staff in molecular and conventional approaches to ER testing. The Edinburgh Malawi Breast Cancer Project is supporting nursing education, data use and cross-specialty collaboration that we are confident will improve cancer care in Malawi. Future work will include the development of a breast cancer diagnostic clinic and a breast cancer registry.
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: E R S
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chalulu
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gadama
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hayward
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jere
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mpinganjira
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Noah
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raphael
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Masamba
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000458:organization & administration; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration; D020847:Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D008295:Malawi; D020380:Needs Assessment; D000072184:Nurse Specialists / Q000600:supply & distribution; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team
chemical_list: D020847:Estrogen Receptor Modulators
keywords: Breast Cancer; Multi-disciplinary care