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    Digital Sherpas Enhance Nursing Care, Patient Quality of Life
    Patient Support
    Digital Sherpas Enhance Nursing Care, Patient Quality of Life
    December 06, 2019
    Russia Fosters Oncology Nursing Professional Development With ONS, EONS Presentations at Cancer Conference
    Oncology nursing community
    Russia Fosters Oncology Nursing Professional Development With ONS, EONS Presentations at Cancer Conference
    November 19, 2019
    Nurses Must Include Palliative Care Early for Their Patients
    Palliative care
    Nurses Must Include Palliative Care Early for Their Patients
    November 08, 2019
    Shared Structure Allows Nurses to Drive the Decision-Making Process
    Shared decision making (SDM)
    Shared Structure Allows Nurses to Drive the Decision-Making Process
    November 01, 2019
    What the First Patient I Ever Cared for Taught Me About Anxiety From New Beginnings
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship
    What the First Patient I Ever Cared for Taught Me About Anxiety From New Beginnings
    October 25, 2019
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    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    What the First Patient I Ever Cared for Taught Me About Anxiety From New Beginnings
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    What the First Patient I Ever Cared for Taught Me About Anxiety From New Beginnings

    I remember my first day as a student nurse technician at an academic medical center as if it was yesterday. It was a Saturday afternoon shift in May 1996 on 10 Green at Harper Hospital in Detroit, MI, on a hematology unit that cared for patients with either malignant hematology (i.e., leukemia and lymphoma) or benign hematology conditions (e.g., sickle cell disease).

    October 25, 2019
    Prevent Important Information From Getting Lost in Translation
    Safety

    Prevent Important Information From Getting Lost in Translation

    At the heart of patient-centered cancer care is communication and understanding, and oncology nurses have a responsibility to ensure that their patients have all the information they need to successfully navigate their cancer journey. But what happens when language barriers inhibit the flow of information between patient and practitioner? 

    April 25, 2019
    ONS Congress

    Get Comfortable Talking to Patients About Sexuality During and After Cancer Treatment

    Bothersome and distressing sexual dysfunction is common in both men and women living with cancer. Treatments can potentially alter a person’s sexual health in the physical, emotional, mental ,and social well-being realms of care. Literature has shown that time constraints and level of comfort with sexual health content are barriers to addressing patients’ sexual health concerns. On Friday, April 12, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA, speakers provided an overview of sexual health concerns and strategies to assure a positive and respectful approach to female and male patients with cancer who are experiencing them.

    April 12, 2019
    ONS Congress

    Nurses Need to Recognize the Unique Needs of Older Adults With Cancer

    The number of U.S. adults aged 65 and over is rapidly increasing: by 2030, they’re estimated to represent about 70% of cancer diagnoses. During a session on Friday, April 12, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA, speakers discussed how the complexities of cancer care can affect the expanding population of older adults with cancer.

    April 12, 2019
    ONS Congress

    Considerations for Care of LGBTQ+ Patients With Cancer

    Cancer in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) population has remained underresearched, and information that is known is less likely to reach oncology professionals who could use it to improve care. In “Care of the LGBTQ+ Patient With Cancer,” Carlton Brown, RN, PhD, AOCN®, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of Zenith Health Care Solutions, Inc., in Portland, OR, and David Rice, PhD, MSN, RN, NP, NEA-BC, director of education, evidence-based practice, and research at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA, examined the delivery of quality cancer care in people identifying as LGBTQ+, along with strategies for addressing their unique needs and minimizing barriers to care. They presented the session on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA.

    April 11, 2019
    Geriatric Assessments Can Improve Shared Decision Making, Patient Satisfaction
    Shared decision making (SDM)

    Geriatric Assessments Can Improve Shared Decision Making, Patient Satisfaction

    As people age, their risk for cancer increases, and so too does the complexity of their cancer care. Older patients with cancer typically present with age-related conditions like comorbidities, functional problems, falling, and polypharmacy, which are not as widely discussed in the oncology space as they should be. Age-
    related concerns can influence outcomes for patients with cancer and their caregivers, including treatment toxicity, hospitalization, and even early mortality. 

    April 02, 2019
    How Shared Decision Making Affects Cancer Care
    Shared decision making (SDM)

    How Shared Decision Making Affects Cancer Care

    “Two heads are better than one” is an idiom so old and often used that it borders on cliché. But as with most colloquial sayings, a kernel of truth is buried underneath. Combining forces to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and coordinate efforts is the key to nearly every successful endeavor, and it’s especially true for patients and providers navigating the cancer journey. 

    April 02, 2019
    Emily Edelman, MS, CGC, is the associate director of clinical and continuing education at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME.
    Genetics & genomics

    How Do You Address Unanticipated Genomic Testing Results?

    Genomic testing—identifying variants, like mutations, in tumor cells to inform patient treatment options—occasionally comes with unanticipated results that clinicians have to address with their patients. Clinicians and patients alike are often hopeful that tumor genomic testing will identify a personalized cancer treatment. Indeed, many patients have benefited from being candidates for new targeted therapies identified through genomic testing. 

    March 05, 2019
    Which of the Following Strategies Is an Example of Developing a Provider-Patient Relationship to Negotiate an Oral Adherence Plan?
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    Which of the Following Strategies Is an Example of Developing a Provider-Patient Relationship to Negotiate an Oral Adherence Plan?

    A provider develops a partnership with a patient and negotiates behaviors to reach an agreement to adhere to oral chemotherapy medication. This is an example of which strategy?

    a. Reinforcement

    b. Operant conditioning

    c. Motivational interviewing

    d. Partnership   

    March 01, 2019
    Cultivate Cultural Humility in Yourself and Your Practice
    Nurse self-care

    Cultivate Cultural Humility in Yourself and Your Practice

    Oncology nurses interact with other staff, patients, and families, each of whom have various cultural and personal preferences. A person’s culture encompasses race, ethnicity, spiritual practices, social habits, and so much more. 

    February 19, 2019
    What Assessment Tools Are Used for Patients With Cancer and Psychiatric Diagnoses?
    Comorbidities

    What Assessment Tools Are Used for Patients With Cancer and Psychiatric Diagnoses?

    When patients with cancer also suffer from psychiatric diagnoses, it can present unique challenges to healthcare professionals. Because oncology nurses build relationships with patients while addressing issues, understanding the obstacles to practice is key to providing the best possible care. By having a keen understanding of symptoms, assessment procedures, and necessary response skills, oncology nurses can work together with the mental health team to provide holistic care throughout the cancer journey. 

    February 05, 2019
    A Matter of Mind: When Patients With Cancer Have Psychiatric Comorbidities
    Comorbidities

    A Matter of Mind: When Patients With Cancer Have Psychiatric Comorbidities

    Nearly 20% of Americans experience mental illness in a given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. With diagnoses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression, about one in every 25 Americans suffers from a serious mental illness that directly affects major life activities. The prevalence of mental illness in the United States can have a downstream effect on cancer care and patient outcomes, and with these statistics, oncology nurses may encounter patients with cancer who have pre-existing psychiatric disorders. Healthcare providers in fields outside of psychology need to be prepared to address the unique needs and individualized care required to support this patient population during and beyond cancer treatment. 

    February 05, 2019
    Nurses Ranked ‘Most Trusted Profession’ in 2019
    Oncology nurse influence

    Nurses Ranked ‘Most Trusted Profession’ in 2019

    Public opinion surveys from respected groups such as Gallup serve as a barometer on certain topics and issues. In Gallup’s 2019 poll assessing ethics and honesty, nurses were again ranked the most-trusted profession in the United States for the 20th year. In 2019, 84% of respondents said they rated nurses “very high” for honesty and ethical standards, leading the pack by a wide margin. Patients, families, and caregivers know firsthand that nurses are driving patient-centered care. For that very reason, they rank nurses higher than physicians, clergy, police officers, and educators. It’s a position that commands respect.

    February 01, 2019
    The Case of the Gender Gaffe
    Clinical practice

    The Case of the Gender Gaffe

    During the morning shift change, Charlie, an RN, receives a report on Ellis, age 52, who was admitted three days ago for severe abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea after cycle 3 of high-dose ipilumumab and nivolumab.

    When Charlie and the certified nursing assistant (CNA) enter Ellis’s room, the patient is sitting up in bed caressing hands with a woman of similar age. Ellis requests help getting into the shower, so Charlie says to the CNA, “Please, help him shower, and I will finish introductions.” 

    Ellis interrupts Charlie. “I am not a he!” 

    January 15, 2019
    Use Storytelling to Hear Your Patient’s Voice
    Nurse self-care

    Use Storytelling to Hear Your Patient’s Voice

    Practice reflection is a critical element of self-care for an oncology nurse, and one way to reflect is through storytelling. Whether it’s sharing your own stories or your patients’ stories, writing them down and speaking them aloud to yourself, your family, a small group, or more can be a healing self-care experience.

    January 09, 2019
    How Oncology Nurses Provide Quality Care Through Telephone Triage
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    How Oncology Nurses Provide Quality Care Through Telephone Triage

    As a direct line to the oncology team, the phone conversations between nurses and their patients can help address symptoms, foster valuable patient education, provide useful interventions, encourage side effect reporting, and identify potentially life-threatening situations. Ultimately, successful telephone triage requires a unique skill set for oncology nurses to communicate with their patients and recognize underlying issues.

    November 06, 2018
    ONS and Other Groups Ask Nurses to Lead by Example to Promote Advance Care Planning
    Palliative care

    ONS and Other Groups Ask Nurses to Lead by Example to Promote Advance Care Planning

    Advance care planning (ACP) is a process for patients and their families to discuss their wishes and goals of care for treatment and end-of-life care, clarify related values and goals, and state preferences through written documents and medical orders. In situations where a patient’s decision-making capacity is limited, healthcare providers turn to family members to make decisions. When no ACP conversations have occurred between patients and their families, family members are left to make decisions regarding life-sustaining treatment without input from the patient or with little knowledge of the patient’s wishes.

    October 25, 2018
    CMS Proposes Changes to Medicare and Doctor-Patient Relationships
    Health Policy

    CMS Proposes Changes to Medicare and Doctor-Patient Relationships

    One of the biggest challenges in medical practice is finding a way to spend enough time with each patient amid all the regulatory paperwork. To streamline workflows and encourage better provider-patient relationships, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new reforms to roll back certain regulatory efforts that were saddling clinicians with cumbersome paperwork. As part of those efforts, CMS reevaluated some of its reimbursement methods to improve efficiency with its required paperwork.

    September 13, 2018
    Caring for Patients Through All Levels of Survivorship
    Survivorship

    Caring for Patients Through All Levels of Survivorship

    The medical terms for living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis identify patients as entering the survivorship phase of their cancer journey. However, as science continues to develop new treatments responsible for extending patients’ lives, new levels of survivorship are being determined.

    September 04, 2018
    Patient on a Clinical Trial Needs to Visit the Dentist
    Oncology clinical trials

    What Would You Say if Your Patient on a Clinical Trial Needs to Visit the Dentist?

    One of your patients is enrolled in a clinical trial and is scheduled to receive an investigational drug today. She reports a cracked tooth and asks if it’s okay to get dental work. What should you tell her? 

    A. To Set up an appointment with her dentist between treatment cycles. 

    B. To check with her research team before setting up a dental appointment. 

    C. Not to have any dental work done since she’s on a clinical trial.  

    D. Have her tooth fixed right away and let the research team know if you have any problems. 

    July 17, 2018
    Why Pretesting Counseling Is Critical in the Age of Consumer Genetic Tests
    Genetics & genomics

    Why Pretesting Counseling Is Critical in the Age of Consumer Genetic Tests

    On March 6, 2018, 23andMe—an at-home genetic testing company—announced their direct-to-consumer genetic test (DTCGT) would include DNA results for the three common founder BRCA mutations commonly seen in people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. This was big news because DNA results for the BRCA mutations had been previously available on the 23andMe panel report until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed them in 2013.

    July 06, 2018
    What to Do When Your Patients Talk About Medical Aid in Dying
    End of life (EOL)

    What to Do When Your Patients Talk About Medical Aid in Dying

    Despite groundbreaking treatments, novel medications, fast-tracked drug approvals, and cutting-edge science, a terminal diagnosis is still a reality for many patients with cancer. Having end-of-life discussions with patients and their family members is a difficult part of oncology nursing, but it’s necessary to provide the highest quality of care and education possible. With more news reports emerging about states introducing—and passing—medical aid in dying legislation, oncology nurses will face questions about the process from patients and caregivers.

    July 02, 2018
    Nellie Diez, BSN, RN, OCN® and Kristin Soper, MSN, ANP-BC, AOCNP®
    Oncology nurse influence

    Focusing On the Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

    Imagine being in a hospital, unable to verbally communicate and having to find a way to get across your basic human needs. As oncology nurses, we take care of a variety of different patients: some able to make their needs known and some who unfortunately cannot.

    June 29, 2018
    How Oncology Nurses Can Support Childhood Cancer Survivors
    Survivorship

    How Oncology Nurses Can Support Childhood Cancer Survivors

    More than 13,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in the United States. Because treatment options continue to improve, more than 80% of those children will survive at least five years after their diagnosis.

    June 18, 2018
    ONS Congress

    Using the Social Network: What Are the Professional Boundaries?

    It’s hard to imagine life without social media, even though the active use of it is less than 15 years old. People use social media to stay connected to family and friends, for information on communities, and more. And although social media is most often used as a personal outlet, it has become much more prevalent in the professional realm as well.

    May 17, 2018
    The Case of the Blurred Boundaries
    Clinical practice

    The Case of the Blurred Boundaries

    Roxanne, a blood and marrow transplant certified nurse, has been taking care of Jerome, a 20-year-old man diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Jerome is the eldest of seven children; his mother works full-time, and with younger children at home has not been able to make the trip across country to be with her son.

    May 15, 2018
    Expressive Writing Can Help Patients Understand and Process Their Cancer Diagnosis
    Patient Support

    Expressive Writing Can Help Patients Understand and Process Their Cancer Diagnosis

    Writing images from one’s memory and imagination can be a healing act. According to a recent study on expressive writing and patients with cancer, some individuals may benefit from participating in expressive writing as part of their supportive cancer treatment. The writing act can be a form of healing for patients struggling with their cancer diagnoses.  

    April 03, 2018
    Oncology Nurses Can Help Patients Understand At-Home Genetic Testing
    Genetics & genomics

    Oncology Nurses Can Help Patients Understand At-Home Genetic Testing

    Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) has entered the prime-time stage. It’s difficult to watch TV without seeing ads touting the simplicity of DTCGT and what it can tell you, and it even made Oprah’s 2017 Favorite Things List.

    March 14, 2018
    Is Sexual Harassment of Nurses Prevalent in Health Care?
    Nurse empowerment

    Is Sexual Harassment of Nurses Prevalent in Health Care?

    The MeToo movement, an online campaign where women from all walks of life shared their stories of personal sexual assault and harassment, went viral in October 2017. The goal of their stories was to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual misconduct, especially in the workplace. Victims of sexual violence and harassment often go unnoticed and unheard, even though the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that it affects approximately one third of women worldwide. In a 2017 poll of American women, 54% reported “unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances” and 95% said it goes unreported.

    March 07, 2018
    The Case of the Cancer Genetics Referral
    Clinical practice

    The Case of the Cancer Genetics Referral

    Christina is a 29-year-old African American woman with a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancers and a personal history of benign ovarian fibroids. She was referred to your office because of a suspicious lump in her left breast. Because of her family history, Christina is especially worried. You are concerned that Christina could have a hereditary family cancer syndrome, and you know that a comprehensive family history must be obtained.

    February 19, 2018
    laughing is the best medicine
    Patient empowerment

    Laughing in the Face of Cancer: ONS Member Shares Mother’s Comical Reflections on Being a Patient

    American author Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. . . . I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” Humor has the ability to sooth and heal, and humor often makes grim situations feel brighter and less daunting. Moments affixed with tragedy, grief, loss, and terror can often soften in time, allowing for understanding, acceptance, and sometimes even laughter.

    January 24, 2018
    Sue Schneider
    ONS Leadership

    Find Moments of Inspiration in Your Work

    I just finished writing a sympathy card to the family of “Beth.” For the past five years, Beth was in a support group that I facilitate for individuals with advanced cancer. Beth is an example of why I am an oncology nurse. She was an amazing woman. A deliberate thinker, she collected information and made decisions about her health that fit her goals. She once asked me, “How can you continue to care for folks with cancer year after year? It must be hard.”

    November 28, 2017
    Leah Alair
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    Walls and a Blue Ribbon

    I arrived at work on Tuesday morning to find my charge nurse handing out blue ribbons, beads, and bracelets to staff.

    "March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month,” she said. “Put on the blue, we're promoting awareness and encouraging people to get their screenings!" I stared at some of my coworkers with ribbons tied neatly in their hair.

    It’s important to know that I routinely have to field the question, "Are you sure you're old enough to be a nurse?" I had a feeling the ribbon wasn't going to help my credibility. This was also my second day of caring for a patient struggling to cope in a very tough fight against colon cancer. Would she mind? Would it be insensitive?

    July 18, 2017
    ONS Congress

    An Oncology Nurse Discussed What It’s Also Like to Be a Patient

    When an oncology nurse becomes a patient with cancer, the experience can shed light on the cancer journey and help other nurses comprehend what their patients go through. During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, as part of the annual Mara Mogensen Flaherty Memorial Lectureship, Patricia Jakel, RN, MN, AOCN®, an advanced practice nurse at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and an associate professor in the UCLA School of Nursing, shared her journey, describing the terror that comes with diagnosis, the frequent unsupportive social interactions, and the symptom burden.

    July 01, 2017
    Oncology nurse screening of patient symptoms
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    Screening for Symptoms

    Oncology nurses develop close relationships with their patients partly because they spend so much time with them and partly because they care for them when they are vulnerable.
    June 02, 2014
    Clinical practice

    Ineffective Communication Is a Barrier to Patient Care

    I was spoiled with several plane trips in the month of April, which I always enjoy because it allows me some reading time. My recent trip to Boston and its subsequent layovers allowed me time to read ANA’s American Nurse Today and The American Nurse, and ONS’s Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. The latter had a great article, "Oncology Nurse Communication Barriers to Patient-Centered Care."
    May 13, 2013
    Clinical practice

    The Case of the Irradiated Red Cells

    Xaviar, a newly diagnosed patient with acute myelogenous leukemia, is receiving his first packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion.
    January 22, 2013
    Oncology nurses need grief resolution
    Nurse self-care

    To Retain Oncology Nurses, Offer Grief Resolution

    As a career, oncology nursing is rewarding, but it involves frequent care of patients at the end of life.
    October 02, 2012
    Oncology nurse-patient relationship

    The Case of Amanda Trujillo

    February 17, 2012
    Oncology nurse pride

    Why Oncology?

    Often, when I mention that I am an oncology nurse, people immediately get a confused
    February 14, 2012
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