November 22, 2022
Committed to establishing innovative best practices, supportive care at Children’s Hospital enables paediatric health care teams to prevent and manage the adverse effects of cancer itself and its treatment, including both physical and psychological symptoms. Oncology research in this field is rapidly evolving, allowing teams to make evidenceinformed decisions that are best for the patient.
“We are in a fortunate place where there is new research being done regularly in the area of oncology supportive care,” said Dr. Jennifer Seelisch, Paediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at Children’s Hospital. “Locally in London, we work hard to ensure that we remain up to date with the current best global evidence and make changes to care as new recommendations arise. We incorporate supportive care measures, such as appropriate antinausea medications or infection prevention medication, into our electronic care plans, and review this evidence as a group when it changes.”
Children’s Hospital is among four paediatric hospitals in Canada to be honoured with this recognition, including Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), McMaster Children's Hospital and SickKids. These health care organizations are now certified by the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer MASCC .
"This recognition speaks to the incredible work our dedicated staff at Children's do every day to provide better quality of life for children and youth with cancer," added Dr. Seelisch. “The MASCC certification means a lot to our division as acknowledgment of our dedication to our paediatric patients.”
MASCC certification recognizes oncology centers for integrating the highest standards of comprehensive supportive care services with cancer treatment. Children’s Hospital and other recipient hospitals provide comprehensive supportive care to pediatric oncology patients. Working in partnership with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), Children’s Hospital ensures patients and families impacted by childhood cancer have access to the best care and support, including through POGO’s Interlink, Transitions, AfterCare, and Satellite Clinic services, and implementation of POGO’s evidencebased clinical practice guidelines.