Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center, Philippines.
Section of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center, Philippines.
J Cancer Policy. 2021 Mar;27:100269. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpo.2020.100269. Epub 2020 Dec 24.
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched most healthcare systems to the point that if no adaptations are made, failure will most likely happen. The Philippine healthcare system, with its meager resources, is very much vulnerable to this. During the start of the pandemic, Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center has been converted to a COVID-19 hub, leaving cancer care and treatment displaced. We describe our experience in the feasibility of using a religious facility as an interim place for continuing oncology treatment. An outpatient chemotherapy unit was set up using the main hall of the Residencia Sacerdotal, a religious facility, in Bataan. General practices for infection control, workflow and service delivery were in accordance with existing guidelines. A total of 56 adult patients and 22 pediatric patients were seen for chemotherapy during the period of April 28 to July 15, 2020. A total of 144 chemotherapy sessions for adults and 190 sessions for pediatric patients were done. Fifty nine patients (43 adults and 16 pediatric) were tested for COVID-19 RT PCR (GeneXpert®), as baseline prior to chemotherapy, and all were negative. During the course of treatment, adverse events were noted including infusion reactions, hematologic complications which resolved without any complications. No nosocomial infection was recorded both for patients and healthcare workers. To conclude, in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era adapting to the situation is the best way forward. In our setting, continuing cancer care in a religious facility is a feasible alternative.
COVID-19 大流行的出现使大多数医疗保健系统都承受了巨大压力，如果不进行调整，系统很可能会崩溃。菲律宾的医疗保健系统资源匮乏，因此非常容易受到影响。在疫情开始时，巴丹总医院和医疗中心已被改造成 COVID-19 治疗中心，导致癌症治疗和护理受到影响。我们描述了在使用宗教设施作为临时肿瘤治疗场所的可行性方面的经验。在巴丹的一个宗教设施——Residencia Sacerdotal 的主厅内，建立了一个门诊化疗单位。感染控制、工作流程和服务提供的一般实践都符合现有指南。在 2020 年 4 月 28 日至 7 月 15 日期间，共有 56 名成年患者和 22 名儿科患者接受了化疗。共为成人患者进行了 144 次化疗，为儿科患者进行了 190 次化疗。共有 59 名患者（43 名成人和 16 名儿科）接受了 COVID-19 RT-PCR（GeneXpert®）检测，作为化疗前的基线检测，结果均为阴性。在治疗过程中，观察到包括输液反应在内的不良事件，以及血液学并发症，但均得到解决，没有出现任何并发症。患者和医护人员均未发生医院感染。总之，在 COVID-19 大流行时期，适应形势是最好的前进方式。在我们的环境中，在宗教设施中继续进行癌症治疗是一种可行的替代方案。
