ArticleEcancermedicalscience2026
Strengthening oncology care in limited-resource settings through effective pharmacy quality improvement: insights from four major tertiary hospitals in Ghana.
Article in Ecancermedicalscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: In resource-limited settings like Ghana, the growing burden of oncology care demands robust pharmaceutical quality improvement (QI) strategies to ensure safe and effective systemic cancer treatment. However, limited evidence exists on the implementation and impact of such strategies within pharmacy departments of tertiary healthcare facilities. Aim: The study assessed the effectiveness, impact and challenges associated with QI strategies and practices in the pharmacy departments of four major tertiary healthcare facilities in Ghana. Methods: A multi-centre cross-sectional study was conducted to assess QI practices in oncology care. A structured questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to collect data from 91 pharmacy staff who were recruited via stratified random sampling. Quantitative analysis was performed using STATA version 19 with descriptive and inferential statistics applied to evaluate the implementation and perceived effectiveness of QI strategies. Results: The mean age was 37.5 ± 9.9 years. Various QI strategies were widely implemented, including the use of technology (100%), standard operating procedures (92.3%) and staff training (83.5%). Key focus areas were inventory management, patient safety and reduction of medication error. While overall perceptions of QI effectiveness were high (mean = 4.92), training adequacy and resource allocation scored lower. Major challenges included theft, preferential treatment of patients and inventory issues. Regression analysis identified staff training (p = 0.026), patient-centered focus (p = 0.013) and responsiveness (p = 0.011) as significant predictors of perceived performance, underscoring the importance of these factors in enhancing pharmacy service quality. Conclusion: The study highlights the widespread adoption of QI strategies in Ghanaian tertiary hospital pharmacy departments and their perceived positive impact on oncology care delivery. Despite notable strengths in technology use and service orientation, gaps in staff training and resource allocation remain. Addressing these challenges through targeted investments and continuous professional development is essential to strengthen pharmaceutical services and ensure safer, more efficient cancer care in resource-limited settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.