Educational Program for Oncological Specialists

During Jan-Mar 2019 Tabletochki paid (in some cases partially) the foreign studies of 10 doctors (in the field of neurosurgery, bone marrow transplantation, rehabilitation, intensive chemotherapy). These are professional scientific groups and master classes organized by the most authoritative global and European associations in the field of pediatric oncology and neurosurgery (SIOP, EBMT, ESPN) and internships in oncohematological centers in Lithuania and Belarus.

We organized an exchange of experience between the doctors and nurses of the oncohematology/oncology/surgery departments of the «Okhmatdyt» (Kyiv) and Western Ukrainian Specialized Children's Medical Center (Lviv).

In Lviv, the surgeon and nurse from the «Okhmatdyt» had an internship of the installation and care of subcutaneous and tunneled catheters. And now Okhmatdyt's departments are ready to accept patients with already installed catheters. And we hope that in the nearest future, the hospital physicians will begin to install and use these types of catheters independently, since they are safer and less painful in comparison with conventional catheters.

In February, we organized a lecture about the prevention of professional burnout for 20 doctors and nurses of the «Okhmatdyt».

English language learning program for doctors and nurses has been launched (it provides the partial compensation of the fees for successful completion of the course). This is our pilot program, it will be attended by doctors and nurses of the onco- departments of the «Okhmatdyt», the National Cancer Institute and the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children's Medical Center (Lviv). This program should help physicians more actively implement the advanced European experience in treating children with cancer in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the year, we had translated 6 new operational standards for the BMT department of the «Okhmatdyt» and ordered the translation of 3 basic protocols in oncohematology.

During October-December 2018 Tabletochki continued our work with an educational program for Ukrainian doctors and nurses in the field of pediatric oncology. The key direction was emergency help to the BMT (bone marrow transplantation) department in «Okhmatdyt» hospital.

In October 2018 Tabletochki organized a study trip of 3 transfusiologists from «Okhmatdyt» to the university clinic in Vilnius. Physicians had to study and carry out the procedure of collecting and cryopreservation of peripheral blood stem cells and a procedure of the photopheresis in real conditions. These are necessary procedures for bone marrow transplantation. 

Also in October Tabletochki sent two laboratory technicians from «Okhmatdyt» for a two-week internship to the Belarussian research center for pediatric oncology, hematology and immunology. In the equipped modern Austrian-Belusian training center, they took theoretical and practical training according to the program: “Primary diagnosis of leukemia using flow cytometry, diagnosis of minimal residual disease, assessment of cell activity, comprehensive assessment of the results of morphological studies, immunophenotyping and genetic analysis in the diagnosis of hematological diseases".

In November 2018 Tabletochki sent another two technicians from “Okhmatdyt” for a two-week internship in Belarus. Doctors studied according to the program: "Diagnosis of acute leukemia and monitoring of minimal residual disease by molecular – genetic methods."

Recently an ultrasonic device with the function of elastography appeared in «Okhmatdyt». It allows to diagnose malignant and benign tumors, diffuse lesions of the liver with high quality and at the modern level. In order to put this technique into practice it was necessary specialized training. At the International Congress on Ultrasound Technologies in Kiev on November 8-9, theoretical and practical training of doctors to work with this technique took place. Tabletochki provided the participation in the training to the ultrasound doctor of the radiology and radionuclide diagnostics center of the Radiology Center.

On November 7-9, Tabletochki provided participation of three doctors from the Center of Radiology «Okhmatdyt» hospital in a conference dedicated to the treatment and diagnosis of lymphomas. The main problem in the treatment of lymphomas in Ukraine is the inconsistency of doctors in the use of protocols, there is no single standard. During this conference, doctors could get acquainted with the experience of treating the disease in Europe and Israel, as well as exchanged professional contacts.

On November 15-16, 2018 hematologist of the Onco-hematology department of the Nikolaev Regional Hospital took part in the international congress on "Rational using of antibiotics". Throughout the conference the hematologist was able to learn about the latest European trends in antibiotic therapy and their implementation.

On October 22-23, CF «Tabletochki» coordinated and organized a visit of the pediatric neurologist from the largest Canadian clinic «SickKids» at the «Okhmatdyt». The visit took place on the basis of the Ukraine Pediatric Fellowship Program. During the visit, neurologist held consultations with Ukrainian neurosurgeons about the critical cases and also held four lectures for neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists from «Okhmatdyt» clinic, from the Institute of Neurosurgery and other children's hospitals in Kiev:

- Assessment and management of preterm infants (also including pattern of brain injury in the preterm infants).

- VNS Therapy.

- Autoimmune encephalitis (different types, characteristic features, diagnostic criteria and management).

- Management of drug-resistant epilepsy (the importance of team work between neurologist and neurosurgeons, focal cortical dysplasia, invasive monitoring in SickKids). This visit helped to establish the warmer contact between the CF «Tabletochki», «Okhmatdyt» clinic and the «SickKids» team.

On October 29, Tabletochki held a master-class “Hospital clownery and medical practice: points of contact” from the well-known and experienced hospital clown in «Okhmatdyt». The event was attended by doctors and nurses from the BMT department, radiation therapy, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, as well as psychologists, volunteers, hospital clowns and foundation staff. Thanks to the master class, we were able to identify a number of topics that are acute for doctors, there are: emotional burnout, a conversation with parents and patients about palliative care, communication and conflict management. Tabletochki will prepare new workshops for doctors about these topics. 

On December 1-2 and December 22-23, Tabletochki provided participation of the head of the structural unit doctor of the Rivne Regional Children's Hospital in the following seminars: Ultrasound Angiology: Diagnosis of pathology of the neck and head vessels and duplex scanning of the arteries and veins of the lower limbs. 

From September to December 2018, Tabletochki paid a subscription or translated from English and German into Ukrainian:

-     EURO-E.W.I.N.G. 99 - Ewing Tumour Studies. Translation of the treatment protocol for Ewing's sarcoma. Request from the National Cancer Institute.

-     Payment of annual subscription for medical literature: The Society of Critical Care Medicine’s, UpToDate and The European Society of Anaesthesiology. Employees of the intensive care unit «Okhmatdyt» received a subscription (in which the most difficult patients, as a rule, are our wards, from the departments of oncohematology and neurosurgery).

-     ALL-SZT BFM - Protokoll 2003, Version 2007. Translation of the protocol for bone marrow transplantation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

-     Translation of the bone marrow transplantation protocol for acute myeloblastic leukemia.

-     Translation of 10 operational standards from Italian for the department of BMT "Okhmatdyt" hospital.

We send all translated medical documents by e-mail, which includes doctors of all key oncological and onco-hematological departments in Ukraine and doctors of other specializations who deal with oncology: neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, neurologists and other specialists.