Currently at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), Peshawar we have developed Clinical Nutrition, Clinical Psychology and Physiotherapy services.
SKMCH&RC, Peshawar has a fully developed clinical psychology service working for the psychological health and mental rehabilitation of our cancer patients. One of the exclusive features of this department is that it not only provides these services to our cancer patients but also caters to the psychological needs of the families of these patients. Clinical psychologists deal with the assessment and management of all the turbulent emotions that accompany the diagnosis and active treatment of cancer, as well as, issues around end of life care. They also provide bereavement services, individual therapy, group and family sessions.
Our clinical psychologists also run stress management and well-being sessions for staff members.
Clinical nutritionists monitor, assess, and optimize nutritional status based on the patient’s current medical condition. They confer with physicians and other healthcare professionals to coordinate medical and nutritional needs, and make recommendations for enteral and parenteral feeding. Clinical nutritionists teach patients how to make nutritionally sound food choices to speed the recovery process, and prevent disease.
We have a clinical nutrition service at SKMCH&RC, Peshawar which deals with cancer, as well as, non-cancer patients. Patients are examined in the clinical nutrition clinics as well as other clinical areas for review of their nutritional needs and diet plans are recommended specific to the patients’ clinical and nutritional needs.
SKMCH&RC, Peshawar has a well-equipped physiotherapy department. Physiotherapists play a key role in the holistic management of patients. Within the context of cancer, the primary goal of rehabilitation is to assist the patient in achieving maximum physical functioning within the limits imposed by disease or treatment.
All patients are unique and therefore it is important to have an individualized program to mark their progression and improvement. The aim of rehabilitation is to improve the patient’s quality of life and to restore, optimize and maintain the patient’s functional ability, regardless of the trajectory of their illness.
Physiotherapists provide inpatient and outpatient care. This includes exercise prescription, neurological rehabilitation, lymphedema management, post-mastectomy physiotherapy, paediatric rehabilitation, and orthopaedic rehabilitation.
Physicians and nurses working in SKMCH&RC work closely with the ancillary services. This gives them a chance to acquire basic skills related to these disciplines and improves teamwork.
All three ancillary health services currently functional in SKMCH&RC, Peshawar offer elective opportunity to medical, nursing and ancillary service students. The procedure to seek electives is as per hospital policy through Human Resources.
