Abstract
Background of this project: While the oncology day ward remains vital for administering Systemic Anticancer Treatment (SACT), the rationale for a community- based clinic for pre-chemotherapy care is underscored by its potential to provide accessible, patient-centered and efficient care. Tallaght University Hospital's oncology day ward provides SACT for hundreds of patients per year. Moving certain elements of cancer care to the community setting will address the growing challenges posed by the increasing prevalence of cancer. Such challenges include and increase in the diagnosis of cancer which impacts capacity for treatment in our oncology day ward and longer waiting times. This new initiative fosters collaborative partnerships between oncology day ward and the South Dublin Community Intervention Team, fundamentally transforming the way we approach cancer care.
The Innovation: We are strategically integrating certain elements of pre-chemotherapy care into the community, starting with prechemotherapy phlebotomy services. We have opened up a community based clinic ran by the CIT whereby patients are referred to by the oncology day ward for pre-chemo care. Through the extension of these components, we are not only reshaping the patient's journey, but also establishing a revolutionary framework with the capacity to enhance accessibility to cancer services and increase efficiency in care delivery.