Healthcare professionals are called to provide patient-centered care in an environment where they listen to patients’ goals and desires and support patient autonomy. However, heeding that call requires patients’ participation to voice their needs and concerns, and some patients may be reluctant to speak up for themselves.

Research and practice changes funded through healthcare legislation have influenced today’s care delivery across all settings: hospitals, clinics, and even homes. And with their constituents laser-focused on health in today’s pandemic society, legislators have never made that happen so quickly.

After clinical trial results demonstrated a four-month improvement in overall survival compared to best standard care, in March 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved lutetium lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Pluvicto^TM) to treat prostate-specific membrane antigen–expressing metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Whole-person care involves evaluating a patient’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and social health. A conversational assessment can help oncology nurses foster an open dialogue about the patient as a person, not just their physical or health needs.

Emerging evidence has consistently shown that flushing central venous catheters with normal saline is comparable to heparin flushes in the adult care setting, leading to updated guideline recommendations that include saline as an alternative. But to date, only two studies have evaluated the two options in pediatric patients, the older of which found increased complications when used in children with leukemia or lymphoma. Is normal saline an acceptable alternative in that population?