Abstract:

Background: Cancer chemotherapy is treatment that uses drugs to systematically kill or treat cancer cells, they act by killing fast growing cells in the body. Common chemotherapy drugs have the side effect of causing some CIT depending on the type of chemotherapy used, supportive care medications which are prescribed to prevent CIT are of different types. The objective was to determine prescription pattern of supportive care medication in children receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

Methodology: This was a descriptive study conducted for a period of one month at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) involving 104 prescription slips of paediatric cancer patients. Data collected was cleaned in Microsoft excel and was analysed using STATA version 15 and then the results presented in frequency and percentages .

Results: This study enrolled 104 paediatric cancer patients. In supportive care medication prescribed as prophylaxis ondansetron 0.45mg/kg injection (84.6%) and prehydration normal saline 125ml/m² infusion (20.2%) were the most prescribed with indications nausea and vomiting and kidney protection respectively and for supportive care medication prescribed after chemotherapy ondansetron 0.45mg/kg oral tablets (80.8%) and post hydration normal saline infusion 125ml/m² (22.1%) were the most prescribed with indications nausea and vomiting and kidney protection respectively. Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), Bleomycin, Vincristine and Dacarbazine (10.6%) ABVD being the most prescribed chemotherapy prescribed together with ondansetron, dexamethasone, normal saline and pantoprazole as supportive drugs.

Conclusion: This study shows that majority of patients received the best supportive care medication to prevent and manage the side effects of chemotherapy treatment and improve the quality of life.