Implementation of Guideline-Based Clinical Practice at Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Tanzania

Purpose Low-income countries (LICs) face a growing cancer burden and a pressing need to strengthen cancer care delivery systems. Overall case fatality from cancer is estimated to be 30% higher in LICs than in high-income countries, and adherence to standard treatment guidelines is a critical component of addressing this disparity. Despite several recent international efforts to develop resource-stratified cancer treatment guidelines, little research has been done on their implementation. In 2018, Tanzania’s Ministry of Health will publish a new set of national cancer treatment guidelines for all cancers. The objective of this work is to evaluate the feasibility, adoption, and effectiveness of a theory-informed implementation strategy to facilitate the uptake of guideline-based clinical practice at the national referral center, Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI). Our central hypothesis is that this implementation strategy will be undertaken with fidelity and context-appropriate adaptations and will effectively increase guideline-concordant treatment at ORCI. Methods Qualitative data demonstrate that major barriers to guideline-based practice at ORCI include a lack of familiarity with standard treatment guidelines and a culture that prioritizes experience-based expertise over guidelines. We developed a multifaceted intervention to target these barriers using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behavior/Behavior Change Wheel framework. Our intervention has three phases: distribution of national cancer treatment guidelines in hard and soft copy, with an accompanying publicity campaign; dedicated multidisciplinary trainings for oncology providers and implementation champions; and reinforcement strategies, such as environmental restructuring and point-of-care clinical forms, to promote guideline-based practice. We will use a pre–post design that uses a mixed-methods approach to measure process and outcomes, including clinical data collection, survey administration, and qualitative interviews, focus groups, and field observation. Conclusion In Tanzania and other LICs, shifting to guideline-based practice entails a change in clinical culture and behavior, and guideline publication alone is unlikely to result in meaningful change. A theory-informed implementation strategy is the optimal way to ensure the adoption and sustained use of guideline-based practice. Systematic evaluation will allow us to make necessary modifications, disseminate findings, and advance knowledge in the field of cancer treatment guideline implementation in LICs. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/jco/site/ifc . Li Zhang Consulting or Advisory Role: Dendreon, Unity