Pediatric Hematology Oncology IPU in a tertiary care setting.
During an oncology patients’ journey there is a plethora of events that patients and caregivers have to typically experience in a hospital setting from pre-diagnosis stage through treatment and post-treatment follow-up that influences their care, overall well-being and financial sustainability during with the treatment process i.e., for patients/caregivers and the institute. It is of paramount significance to address specific healthcare key performance indicator (KPI). To better understand each hospital -metric indicator with its associated components of care it is vital to recognize the processes & effects on the healthcare systems for seamless operations for improved patient experience .
The Integerated Pediatric Oncology Practice program is designed to ensure healthcare systems function seamlessly and efficiently to deliver appropriate, highest-quality and timely patient care whilst maintaining maximum utilization of resources (outpatient & inpatient). The aim of this initiative is to maintain the highest quality of patient care, improved patient experience and satisfaction and improved accessibility to healthcare services (outpatient & inpatients). The program also set out to improve healthcare-related institutional metrics for reduced healthcare costs and financial sustainability such as reducing length of stay, re-admissions,OR cancellations etc.
The core values of this initiative are aligned with the institutional strategic objectives as follows:
- To deliver world class costumer experience, quality and safety of care to our patients
- To provide access to tertiary care to all who need our services
- To focus on our core specialities
- To transform into a financially sustainable and efficient program
To establish effective collaborations and communication within the organization as well with the external public and private entities.
Pediatric Hematology Oncology department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh serves as an integral part of two core competencies of the institution that is cancer care as well as organ (stem cell) transplantation and is recognised as the only specialized medical institution in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) dedicated to serving children with cancer, non-malignant blood disorders and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The overall incidence of childhood cancer (children ≤ 14 years age ) in Saudi Arabia is approximately 1 per 100,000 with more than 700 new cases reportedly annually (Saudi Cancer Registry -2015) , with a bed capacity of 56 beds and > 18000 ambulatory care visits we deliver sub-specialized tertiary care to > 350 (40%) new cancer cases, in addition to > 500 cases with non-malignant blood disorders referred through Ministry of Health on a yearly basis, while the pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT) program annually performs > 135 transplants in children with various underlying disorders and globally our program is recognized as one of the leading stem cell transplant centers based both on volume, type of transplant, and outcomes data. With our current portfolio as benchmarked and accredited through several strategic memberships and accreditations gives us a unique opportunity as pioneers at the forefront of the Kingdoms Vision 2030 :Healthcare transformation drive in the field of Childhood Cancers and Stem Cell and Cellular Therapy.