Digital solutions to facilitate education, training and professional support for paediatric oncology and other health professionals in rural and other low-resource settings

• Published in: Health education (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) West Yorkshire, England), 2022-03, Vol.122 (2), p.232-259
• Main Authors: Martiniuk, Alexandra, Challinor, Julia, Arora, Ramandeep S, Handayani, Sri Andini, Lam, Catherine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access to information; Adolescents; Cancer; Child mortality; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Educational Technology; Empowerment; Health education; Innovations; Medical diagnosis; Medical personnel; Mortality; Oncology; Online instruction; Professional Education; Professional knowledge; Quality assessment; Teenagers; Workforce
• ISSN: 0965-4283; 1758-714X
• DOI: 10.1108/HE-02-2021-0035

PurposeGlobally, cancer represents an increasing proportion of child mortality as progress against infectious causes is made. Approximately 400,000 children will develop cancer, each year, around the world. Only about half of these cancers will ever be diagnosed. In high-resource settings, 80% of children will survive, but only about 30% will survive in low-resource settings. Digital solutions have a valuable role in increasing health professional knowledge, skills and empowerment to diagnose, treat and otherwise care for children and adolescents with cancer. This review sought to identify digital resources that support the training and development of the paediatric oncology workforce in resource -poor settings.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a narrative descriptive review of peer-reviewed publications and digital platforms that contribute to health professionals' education and training regarding paediatric oncology, particularly in rural and other low-resource settings.FindingsDigital solutions were identified for building communities of practice, facilitating access to information and support and providing access to training, education and supervision specifically for paediatric oncology health professionals. A total of 33 resources are discussed in depth. A quality assessment of the digital resources is provided using the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose (CRAAP) tool and suggestions to improve the quality of resources are discussed.Practical implicationsThe authors anticipate that this summary of digital resources for the global paediatric oncology professional community will inform digital health investments and design of digital innovations to meet emerging needs and will have an impact on the workforce in the real world. Ultimately, this work will contribute to an improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with cancer in resource-poor settings.Originality/valueThis is the first discussion and summary of digital education platforms which educate, train and offer support to health professionals with respect to paediatric oncology. These digital platforms are often aimed at, and are essential for, health professionals in rural and other low-resource settings.