As 2017 begins, ONS is hard at work supporting several new policies that could shape health care in the coming months and years. Although the election season has ended, ONS’s ongoing advocacy for oncology nurses and patients with cancer continues.
According to the results of a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, a combination regimen consisting of a BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor and a B-cell lymphoma 2 inhibitor may one day result in a cure for chronic myeloid leukemia.
Twice a month, I lead a support group for folks with advanced cancer. Our discussions focus on living with cancer despite an uncertain future. Recently the conversation shifted toward what purchases should and shouldn’t be made. One person has a very old car, but she wasn’t certain if a new car would be a prudent purchase, given her prognosis. Another person needed a new winter coat and decided she would get the best one she could afford. It was interesting to listen to how decisions are made when the variables of a short life span or expensive treatments are included. They humorously called it the “return on investment” discussion.
Standards of care are written to address safety and quality in oncology practice. When the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and ONS recognized the need to develop chemotherapy safety standards, the two organizations came together to determine how the process of delivering chemotherapy could be made as safe as possible.
Nurses are no strangers to evidence-based practice changes, and they’re often leading the way when it comes to implementing new standards of care.
