The triple aim of healthcare is patient satisfaction, quality outcomes, and decreased costs. Navigation is the key to effective care delivery, said Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, chief executive officer of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, during the Endnote Session at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit.
Precision medicine involves the identification of actionable mutations and agents that target those specific pathways. ONS member Debra Wujcik, PhD, RN, FAAN, the director of research at Carevive Systems, Inc., gave an overview of precision medicine therapies at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents 8% of all new cancer cases and 8.4% of all cancer deaths, with a five-year survival rate of 64.9% (between 2007–2013). Pancreatic cancer represents 3.2% of all new cancer cases and 7.2% of all cancer deaths, with a five-year survival rate of just 8.2% (between 2007–2013). ONS member Christine Guarnieri, MSN, RN-BC, OCN®, of Huntington Hospital in New York, discussed both of these cancers at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit.
As many as 25%–30% of all new antineoplastic agents in development are estimated to be oral, and almost half of the 300 medications in phase II and III clinical trials are oral medications. A paradigm shift is taking place in chemotherapy delivery. During a session at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit, ONS member Jan Tipton, MSN, RN, AOCN®, at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio, discussed how cancer is making a shift to oral medications.
Palliative care is a patient-centered approach that seeks to optimize quality of life. Advocacy is also important, which includes incorporating patient and family goals into the care plan, promoting communication, actively managing symptoms, promoting and nurturing transcendence and hope, eliminating patients’ and families’ fears of abandonment, and being therapeutically present.
During the keynote address at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit, Brenda Nevidjon, MSN, RN, FAAN, chief executive officer at ONS, addressed the future of oncology care by opening with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “The future depends on what you do today.”
The estimated cancer prevalence by age in the United States is expected to increase from 216 million in 1975 to 380 million in 2040. With older cancer survivors, the severity of disease and treatment will increase, and the physiologic effects of aging, such as pre-existing conditions and new-onset morbidity, will impact the level of care needed for older adults.
With the growing demand for cancer services and a shrinking workforce, new ideas and innovative approaches are needed. During a session at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit, ONS member Jean B. Sellers, RN, MSN, administrative clinical director at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, discussed the current landscape and future of navigation services.
ONS member Judy B. Koutlas RN, MS, OCN®, manager of oncology navigation at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC, discussed best practices and metrics related to navigation programs to improve nursing performance and patient quality of care during a session at the Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit.
For oncology nurses, physicians, and care professionals, the importance of implementing tools to collect and analyze big data cannot be understated. Through collaboration and multidisciplinary tactics, data can help drive improvements in the way patients are treated.