Knowledgeable, consistent, competent care: meeting the challenges of delivering quality cancer care in remote northern communities.

The Northwestern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre (NWORCC) has created outreach services that provide chemotherapy and supportive care to clients in thirteen small, remote communities. Located 100-600 km from the NWORCC, these satellite oncology services are staffed by local physicians, specially prepared nurses and support staff. The present paper reports selected findings from an evaluation of the service, based on two rounds of site visits, interviews and surveys of providers and clients. Although the consensus was that quality care was being delivered, local hospitals and other organizations had to address a variety of challenges. Those discussed in the paper include: maintaining provider competency, strengthening supportive care networks, and adjusting staffing and other resources to meet increased demands for care.