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Re: Febrile neutropenia in the United Kingdom- time to standardize care?

Dear Editor,

Philips et al (1) confirm findings which we presented at the York Spring meeting in 2005 (2). What perhaps needs highlighting is the increasing burden of work taken on by shared care centres in managing patients with febrile neutropenia. It is this group who may benefit more greatly from the development of a standardized febrile neutropenia protocol. Working in a shared care oncology centre the need for standardisation to ensure safe practice in the delivery of supportive care as well as chemotherapy protocols is paramount. This is also in keeping with the IOG (Improving Outcomes Group) recommendation to provide safe care as locally as possible (3). Agreed standards between CCLG (Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group), formerly known as UKCCSG, centres, would allow for standardization of care between the many shared care centres ensuring continuity of care. At UHNS (University Hospital North Staffordshire) we share care with two separate CCLG centres with differing febrile neutropenia protocols, we have therefore developed our own guideline which may or may not be optimal.

We look forward to putting into practice a standardized national approach to febrile neutropenia and other supportive measures in the near future.

References:

1. Philips B, Selwood K, Lane SM, Skinner R, Gibson F, Chisholm J. Variation in policies for the management of febrile neutropenia in United Kingdom Children’s Cancer Study Group centres. Arch Dis Child 2007; 92: 495-498.

2. Humphrey S, Parke S, McMaster P. Febrile Neutropenia Management in the UK? Arch Dis Child 2005; 90 (suppl II) A54. G132.