1. Oncology Nursing Development in Singapore:
AINEC Annual Scientific Meeting
23 October 2018
Oncology Nursing Development in Singapore:
Education to Practice
Dr M Kamala Devi
Associate Professor
Director of Education (Continuing Education and Training)
Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore

2. Greetings from Singapore.

3. Introduction
The cancer burden is enormous in both developed and lesser developed countries
Increasing incidence in Asia
fast growing and aging population
adoption of cancer-risk lifestyle behaviours
(Jemal et al. 2010)

4. Cancer Cases Diagnosed Each Year in Singapore
National Registry of Disease Office, 2016
Daily 35 Singaporeans are diagnosed with cancer!

5. 10 Most Frequent Cancers in Males (%), 2011 – 2015

6. 10 Most Frequent Cancers in Females (%), 2011 – 2015

7. To reduce the of cancer, oncology nursing should be improved to provide high quality and effective care and to improve the of patients
quality of life

8. Oncology Nursing Development
education
research
practice
continuum of care

9. Oncology Education
content on oncology are taught as part of the medical- surgical nursing module in the pre-registration nursing programmes
oncology nursing not as an independent module

10. Oncology Education offered as post-registration specialty
1989: Post-basic Certificate in Oncology Nursing
1993: Advanced Diploma in Oncology Nursing offered by the Polytechnic
Advanced Practice Nurse
Master of Nursing offered by NUS
Acute track
Full time over 2 years

11. Oncology Nursing Practice Settings
Acute Care
Chemotherapy
Services
Radiation Therapy Facilities
Hospice Care
Home Care

12. Role of Oncology Nurses in Singapore
patient assessment,
symptom management and
supportive care

13. safe handling of chemotherapy
evaluation of laboratory data
insertion of intravenous lines s
bone marrow aspiration
and biopsy
symptom management
following radiation-therapy

14. APN Nurse-led Clinics in Cancer Care
Chemotherapy review
Breast cancer follow-up
Colorectal management
Hematological care follow-up
Acute cancer care unit
Survivorship clinics

15. APN-led Chemotherapy Review
History taking and advanced physical assessment
Patient education on
treatment and side-effects
Supportive care
Patient advocate in plan of care
Medication prescribing

16. Oncology Research

17. Research impacting Practice
Oral mucositis
normal saline versus plain water – no difference in reducing incidence of mucositis in low-risk patients

18. Scalp hypothermia for breast cancer patients receiving doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide
15 mins before, during and 15 mins after
found to useful in reduction of alopecia
Continuous limb hypothermia to reduce peripheral neuropathy for patients receiving paclitaxel-induced chemotherapy
60 mins before, during and 30 mins after
(Sundar, et al., 2017)

19. Future Directions … New National Cancer Centre Building by 2022
24-storey new building
New Proton Therapy Centre
and research facility for
immunotherapy

20. Acknowledgment
AINEC
Elsevier

21. References
Jemal, A., Center, M.M., DeSantis, C., & Ward, E.M. (2010). Global pattersn of cancer incidence and mortality rates and trends. Cancer Epidemiology Markers Prevention, 19, Sundar, R., Bandia, A., Tan, S,S,H., Liao, L.D., et al. (2017). Limb hypothermia for preventing Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer patients: A pilt study. Frontier in Oncology, 6, article

22. Terima Kasih