Alshamrani Majed, AlHarbi Atika, Alkhudair Nora, AlNajjar Fouad, Khan Mansoor, Obaid Abdulaziz Ben, Khardaly Amr, Bajnaid Eshtyag, Samarkandi Hadeel, AlAzmi Aeshah, Alabdali Salman, AlNahedh Mohammed
Saudi Oncology Pharmacy Assembly, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmaceutical Care Services, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2020 Sep;26(6):1429-1440. doi: 10.1177/1078155220935564. Epub 2020 Jun 24.
During COVID-19 pandemic, cancer patients are considered one of the most vulnerable to infection since they tend to have advanced age, multiple comorbidities, and are often immunosuppressed by their cancer or therapy. Hence, the Saudi Oncology Pharmacy Assembly has issued recommendations to reduce the frequency of cancer patients' visits to oncology centers during the pandemic while maintaining the access to cancer therapy and minimize the risk of exposure to coronavirus disease.
A qualitative methodological approach was conducted in April 2020 using a virtual panel discussion for collection of recommendations.
A total of 12 expert oncology pharmacy practitioners shared their knowledge and experiences in managing oncology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants recognized many fundamental recommendations that were already applied in many cancer centers since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. On that basis, the panelists developed eight practice-related recommendations for action, with a main focus on cancer treatment modification.
In conclusion, delivering cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic carries significant challenges. This paper addressed suggestions to properly manage cancer patients during difficult times. Implementing changes in practice mandates a national collaborative effort from different sectors to guarantee the quality and continuity of care. The SOPA expert panel developed these recommendations, to ultimately contribute in maintaining access to cancer therapy while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 exposure.
在新冠疫情期间，癌症患者被认为是最易感染的群体之一，因为他们往往年龄较大、患有多种合并症，且常因癌症或治疗而免疫功能低下。因此，沙特肿瘤药学大会发布了相关建议，以减少疫情期间癌症患者前往肿瘤中心的频次，同时确保其能够获得癌症治疗，并将接触新冠病毒疾病的风险降至最低。
2020年4月采用定性研究方法，通过虚拟小组讨论收集建议。
共有12名肿瘤药学专家从业者分享了他们在新冠疫情期间管理肿瘤患者的知识和经验。参与者认可了自新冠疫情爆发以来许多癌症中心已采用的许多基本建议。在此基础上，小组成员制定了八项与实践相关的行动建议，主要侧重于癌症治疗调整。
总之，在新冠疫情期间提供癌症护理面临重大挑战。本文提出了在困难时期妥善管理癌症患者的建议。实施实践变革需要不同部门的全国性协作努力，以确保护理质量和连续性。沙特肿瘤药学大会专家小组制定了这些建议，最终有助于在尽量降低新冠病毒暴露风险的同时维持癌症治疗的可及性。
