Mindfulness Meditation
Safety

Mindfulness Meditation Can Improve Safety in Your Practice

Mindfulness meditation is a popular topic in the media now. Research has already demonstrated the clinical benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction for patients with chronic pain or anxiety disorders. Although there’s been limited research about the benefits of mindfulness stress reduction for oncology nurses and their patients, some evidence suggests that engaging in mindfulness exercises could lead to a safer environment.

April 06, 2017
Decrease Hospital-Acquired Conditions Through Focused Patient Safety
Safety

Decrease Hospital-Acquired Conditions Through Focused Patient Safety

Oncology nurses play a critical role in monitoring patient safety. Despite recent improvements in addressing safety gaps, estimates suggest that 1 in every 10 hospitalized patients will acquire a new condition during his or her stay. For patients with cancer—many of whom have weakened immune systems—hospital-acquired conditions could lead to severe quality-of-life issues or increased mortality rates.
 

March 01, 2017
Personal protective equipment (PPE)

The Importance of Respiratory Protection for Oncology Nurses

Oncology nurses are at an increased risk of exposure to airborne hazards when they’re administering cytotoxic treatments and caring for immunosuppressed patients that are susceptible to resistant infections. Airborne transmission occurs through small particles or droplet nuclei that remain in the air for extended periods of time. Healthcare organizations are expected to provide sufficient respiratory protection for workers potentially exposed to infectious organisms and hazardous agents.

November 28, 2016
Patient safety

New Computing Technology Ensures Safety for Telemedicine and Telemonitoring in Oncology Care

As a research associate for ONS, I participated on a panel of oncology experts advising a group of undergraduate and graduate students regarding the lived experience of cancer treatment for older adults. The students, attending Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, PA, were aspiring computer scientists taking a course called Rapid Prototyping of Computer Systems; they developed the following research question based on input from the expert panel.
October 24, 2016
Culture of safety

Become a Champion of Safety Through Error Recognition and Reporting

Within a culture of safety, accountability for safe and ethical care is a priority. Nurses must advocate for their patients and actively prevent patient harm when faced with safety concerns. With the increasing complexity of cancer care, safety risks are always present. Errors can be life threatening, and oncology nurses must feel comfortable in their ability to recognize and report these events.
October 20, 2016
Patient advocacy

Reflecting on Medical Errors and Advocating for Change

Mistakes happen. Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding it, no one is above it, and I'm sure we can all think of a time that we made a mistake in our nursing practice. The events following a mistake in patient care can be chaotic and emotional. But after the dust settles, what’s most important is learning how to avoid the same mistakes from occurring again, and doing all you can to prevent your fellow nurses from making mistakes in a similar situation. Think of it as primary prevention.
June 13, 2016
Patient safety

Evaluating Security in the Outpatient Setting

It has been a little over a year since cardiologist Dr. Michael J. Davidson, 44, was shot and killed at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He was murdered during the day by the son of a patient he treated who had died a few months prior to the shooting. I remember that day well. I was working in my clinic and all of us wondered, “How could this happen? And could it happen in our clinic?” I like to think that all of our patients and families are thankful and appreciative for all we do for them, but unfortunately that isn't always the case.

February 24, 2016
Personal protective equipment (PPE)

What You Wear Matters When It Comes to Safety

“Hey, you didn’t dress up for me today. Where’s your pretty blue dress?”

At first I wasn’t sure what the patient in the chemotherapy chair was talking about. After a moment, I realized the patient was referring to the blue safety gowns we wear. I heard the infusion nurse respond as she removed the chemotherapy from the hazard bag, “Oh yeah, I’m kind of in a hurry today.”

While the patient could possibly benefit from the chemotherapy, for the nurse that same drug posed a serious hazard.

February 14, 2016
Patient safety

Creating a Culture of Change for Safety

Change is constant. Change is challenging. Some changes, like the five rights of medication administration, surgical timeouts, and clinical pathways, are compulsory. Changes are often identified when something fails. A traffic light becomes a permanent fixture at an intersection where accidents or a loss of life happen. A new protocol is enacted when a fatal error occurs. Awareness drives change and safety initiatives in health care.
February 09, 2016
Care coordination

It Started With an Intake Form: Promoting a Culture of Safety Through Accurate Documentation

During a patients’ initial visit, they’re asked to fill out a screening tool that helps provide a clearer picture as to what their home life is like. This tool addresses important information that helps to dictate our care. Though patients may feel like this is “just another piece of paperwork,” it is crucial to helping us understand their needs and to begin planning for special precautions we many need to take going forward.
February 05, 2016
Double-Lumen implanted port
Cancer treatments

The Case of the Double-Lumen Dilemma

Danielle has a double-lumen implanted port and is scheduled to receive rituximab for lymphoma. After accessing the lateral septum, the nurse is unable to get a blood return, even though saline flushes easily. Danielle comments that the “outside lumen hasn’t drawn well since it was placed a few months ago, and that the other nurses have been using the inside lumen.” The nurse accesses the inside lumen and is able to get a good blood return. What would you do?
July 16, 2013
ONS News

ONS and ASCO Release Revised Chemotherapy Safety Standards

In 2011, a work­group con­sist­ing of Amer­i­can Soci­ety of Clin­i­cal Oncol­ogy (ASCO) and ONS mem­bers was con­vened to review feed­back received since pub­li­ca­tion of the ASCO/​​ONS Stan­dards for Safe Chemother­apy Admin­is­tra­tion in 2009 and to clar­ify the stan­dards as needed. The most sig­nif­i­cant change is the deci­sion to extend their scope to the inpa­tient set­ting. This
February 27, 2012