Development and Validation of an E-learning Module on Systemic Anticancer Therapy and Its Effectiveness on the Knowledge Attitude and Practice of Nurses in Administering Systemic Anticancer Agents at a Specialized Cancer Centres in Oman.

Overview

Cancer is becoming more common worldwide. In countries like the United States, cases of breast and colorectal cancer have increased in recent years. A similar pattern is seen in Oman, where breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and colorectal cancer is the most common among men. As more people are diagnosed with cancer, there is a growing need for safe and effective cancer treatment. One important type of treatment is systemic anticancer therapy (SACT), which includes medications such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. These treatments are powerful and can cause serious side effects if not given correctly. Because of this, nurses who administer these treatments need special knowledge and skills to ensure patient safety. This study aims to develop an online learning (e-learning) program to help nurses improve their knowledge, skills, and confidence in safely administering systemic anticancer therapy. The study will also evaluate whether this e-learning program is effective compared to routine education. The study will be conducted in two major cancer care centers in Oman: the National Oncology Centre at Royal Hospital and the Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Centre. Nurses working in oncology and hematology units in these centers will be invited to participate. Participants will be divided into two groups. One group will receive access to the e-learning program (intervention group), while the other group will continue with their usual training (control group). The assignment to these groups will be done randomly to ensure fairness. Before starting the program, all participants will complete a questionnaire to assess their current knowledge, attitude, and practices related to systemic anticancer therapy. They will also provide basic information such as their age, years of experience, and previous training. The e-learning program will be developed based on the learning needs of nurses and reviewed by experts in oncology to ensure accuracy and quality. Nurses in the intervention group will be given time to complete the online training. After the training period, all participants (both groups) will complete the same questionnaire again. This will help researchers compare the results before and after the training, as well as between the two groups, to see if the e-learning program made a difference. The study will also assess how satisfied the nurses are with the e-learning program, as learner satisfaction is important for the success of educational interventions. Participation in this study is voluntary. All participants will provide written informed consent before joining the study. They will be informed about the purpose of the study, what they need to do, and their right to withdraw at any time without any negative consequences. All information collected will be kept confidential and used only for research purposes. At the end of the study, nurses in the control group will also be given access to the e-learning program to ensure fairness. The results of this study are expected to show that the e-learning program improves nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices in administering systemic anticancer therapy. This may help improve patient safety and the quality of cancer care in Oman.