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    Clinical and Pharmaceutical Nurse Educators Collaborate to Bring Training to Nurses and Improve Patient Care
    Oncology nurse education
    Clinical and Pharmaceutical Nurse Educators Collaborate to Bring Training to Nurses and Improve Patient Care
    January 13, 2023
    Oncology Nurse Uses Retirement to Help Patients and Healthcare Professionals Understand Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker Testing Results
    Pancreatic cancer
    Oncology Nurse Uses Retirement to Help Patients and Healthcare Professionals Understand Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker Testing Results
    November 11, 2022
    The Life of Marie Curie and Her Contributions to Oncology
    Cancer treatments
    The Life of Marie Curie and Her Contributions to Oncology
    November 07, 2022
    Post-Flooding Natural Disaster Cancer Considerations and Patient Education Points
    Patient safety
    Post-Flooding Natural Disaster Cancer Considerations and Patient Education Points
    September 28, 2022
    Can Patients Use Continuous Glucose Monitors During Radiation Therapy for Cancer?
    Radiation therapy
    Can Patients Use Continuous Glucose Monitors During Radiation Therapy for Cancer?
    August 19, 2022
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    End of life (EOL)

    Engaging Community Health Workers Reduces Hospitalizations, Increases Psychosocial, Palliative, and EOL Care
    End of life (EOL)

    Engaging Community Health Workers Reduces Hospitalizations, Increases Psychosocial, Palliative, and EOL Care

    Patients with advanced cancer who met with community health workers between their regular cancer care appointments were less likely to require acute care and more likely to participate in advance care planning and receive mental health, palliative, and hospice care, according to study findings published in JAMA Oncology.

    December 07, 2022
    The Case of the End-of-Life Evaluation
    End of life (EOL)

    The Case of the End-of-Life Evaluation

    Ron, your 73-year-old patient, decides to transition to hospice care after receiving lung cancer treatment for three years. His partner finds Ron’s decision to move to hospice difficult to accept and encourages him to look for a clinical trial or try alternative treatments. You suggest that the couple speaks with a hospital chaplain, and Ron agrees. His surprised partner says, “Why do you want to talk with a chaplain? We’ve never been religious!”

    October 19, 2021
    Racial Minorities Receive More Aggressive EOL Ovarian Cancer Care
    Research

    Racial Minorities Receive More Aggressive EOL Ovarian Cancer Care

    During the last month of life, non-White patients are more likely to receive aggressive care with little to no focus on palliative or end-of-life (EOL) care for their ovarian cancer, researchers reported in Cancer.

    June 09, 2021
    When Everything Still Isn't Enough
    Advance care planning

    When Everything Still Isn't Enough

    Last year, I was involved in the care of Emma (not her real name), a 22-year-old woman with duodenal adenocarcinoma. Cancers of the small intestine are very rare, accounting for less than 1% of all cancers diagnosed in a given year. Because the average age at diagnosis is 66 years, Emma was unusual to have been diagnosed at only 20. But Emma was an exceptional patient in many ways beyond her rare diagnosis: she was remarkably resilient for one so young and came armed with an incredible support system of loved ones.

    April 30, 2021
    ELNEC Milestone Marks Transformation of EOL Care for Countless Patients With Cancer
    Oncology nurse education

    ELNEC Milestone Marks Transformation of EOL Care for Countless Patients With Cancer

    More than one million nurses and other professionals have received training in end-of-life (EOL) care through the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) program in the past 20 years, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported on November 6, 2020. The training has transformed EOL care around the world, including for patients with cancer.

    November 20, 2020
    ONS Bridge

    Communication Is Essential to End-of-Life Choices

    Only 17% of all patients surveyed have had conversations with their physicians about the end of life, experts reported. Nurses can help normalize the process of dying and facilitate such conversations.

    September 17, 2020
    Use This Guide to Navigate Difficult Conversations
    Difficult decisions

    Use This Guide to Navigate Difficult Conversations

    “I don’t want to die.”  “What is my prognosis?”  “Is this a death sentence?” 

    As oncology nurses, heart-wrenching questions like these are part of our day-to-day work. So how do we address patient concerns in a compassionate yet professional way? How do we respond to a patient with stage IV cancer who exclaims they only have two more cycles of treatment until they’re cured? How do we explain to patients with cancer that their journey is not short term?  

    March 20, 2020
    End-of-Life Care Helps Patients Pursue Purpose in the Presence of Pain
    End of life (EOL)

    End-of-Life Care Helps Patients Pursue Purpose in the Presence of Pain

    “It’s going be okay.”

    That common phrase is full of meaning, yet so vague. Often, it’s a patient’s response when they’re first diagnosed or are told that all of the treatments have failed and they only have a few months to live. Other times, a family member will voice the remark when holding a patient’s hand as they provide comforting hope or temporary relief from distress. Sometimes an oncology nurse shares the phrase in an attempt to calm the agony their patients face each day.

    March 13, 2020
    ONS Congress

    Oncology Nurses Enable Patients and Caregivers to Cope at the End of Life

    Caregivers for patients with advanced cancer provide crucial support but often have unmet needs. During a session at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA, J. Nick Dionne-Odom, PhD, RN, ACHPN, of University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Tara Albrecht, PhD, ACNP-BC, RN, of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, discussed new research in palliative care and the role of nurses in supporting patients and their families.

    April 13, 2019
    ONS Congress

    When a Child Is Dying, Parents Need to Hear “We’ve Done Everything We Could”

    What the parents of a child dying from cancer need to hear above all from the healthcare professionals caring for their child is that everything possible has been done, to the best of the health care team’s ability, said Pamela S. Hinds, PhD, RN, FAAN, in the 2019 Mara Mogensen Flaherty Memorial Lecture on Friday, April 12, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA.

    April 12, 2019
    ONS Congress

    Advance Care Planning: It’s About Life

    Many times, when patients are asked about their wishes at the end-of-life, they perceive it as asking how they want to die, which can be scary for patients and a hard conversation for nurses. What if there was a way to change that conversation to suggest that it is way more about how the patient would want to live? In her session “Advance Care Planning: It’s About Life,” on Friday, April 12, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA, Erin Dickman explained how the advance care planning process can help nurses hold those conversations.

    April 12, 2019
    End of life (EOL)

    Communication and Conflict Resolution Become More Important in End-of-Life Care

    The communication deficit among healthcare professionals, families, and patients is a barrier in the delivery of end-of-life care and can result in conflict, according to Elizabeth Thiel, MD, MS, of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and Andria Caton, BSN, RN, OCN®, CHPN, of Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. Thiel and Caton discussed end-of-life communication and the role that nurses play in those conversations during a session on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA.

    April 10, 2019
    McCain Announcement Sheds Light on Nurses’ Role in Advance Care Planning
    Advance care planning

    McCain Announcement Sheds Light on Nurses’ Role in Advance Care Planning

    Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) family announced on August 24, 2018, that McCain has elected to stop treatment for his glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. Although his health had surpassed his original prognosis for many months, “the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment,” his family explained.

    August 24, 2018
    medical aid in dying
    End of life (EOL)

    Medical Aid in Dying Patient Chooses His Last Day; Arkansas Medicaid Work Requirements Could Cost Thousands Coverage; CVS Launches Program in Response to Trump Administration Blueprint to Lower Drug Costs

    With more states legalizing medical aid in dying options for patients, the process is often vague and misunderstood. One patient, Aaron McQ, shared his story as he prepared to self-administer his life-ending medication. His story explains the nurse's key role in education and shared decision making to address the concerns of the patient.

    August 20, 2018
    Is Palliative Care the Answer to the Medical Aid in Dying Discussion?
    Palliative care

    Is Palliative Care the Answer to the Medical Aid in Dying Discussion?

    Oncology nurse scientists have pioneered efforts in symptom management research, including palliative and end-of-life care studies. Healthcare providers and researchers have strong consensus that palliative interventions should begin at the time of diagnosis for patients with cancer. The Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing and Oncology Nursing Forum have published excellent articles in nearly every issue on topics of palliative care, quality of life, and symptom management issues. 

    July 18, 2018
    How Can Nurses Can Help Patients Understand End-of-Life Options?
    End of life (EOL)

    How Can Nurses Help Patients Understand End-of-Life Options?

    When physician-assisted death mandates were passed in states like Oregon, Washington, and California, guidelines were established for practitioners as part of election mandates. However, in states like Montana and Vermont, the legalization of assisted death went through the legislature without process and practice guidelines. Therefore, practitioners have little or no framework to implement the process of medical aid in dying.

    July 02, 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
    How to Have Ethical Discussions in Your Practice
    Ethics in nursing

    How to Have Ethical Discussions in Your Practice

    Having an outlet to consider, discuss, and reflect on oncology ethical issues that affect our daily practice is important in caring for each other in our profession. On our solid tumor oncology unit, monthly nursing ethics lunch and learns allow our nurses the opportunity to identify and discuss their concerns with recent patient cases involving ethical issues. Our hospital’s ethics committee chair facilitates the hour-long discussions held on the unit, along with a senior oncology nurse with significant training and background in clinical ethics.

    May 22, 2018
    GOP Steers Away From Obamacare Repeal, Replace
    Affordable Care Act (ACA)

    GOP Steers Away From Obamacare Repeal, Replace; Is Cigarette Prohibition on the Horizon?; Barbara Bush’s End-of-Life Decision Makes Waves

    After a flurry of proposed legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare—the unofficial name for the Affordable Care Act (ACA)— the GOP has shifted its focus to other policy issues. In fact, many Republican senators and congressional representatives have removed any mention of the healthcare law from their websites. With the 2018 midterm elections approaching, GOP lawmakers are seemingly breaking with the Trump administration’s stance on the healthcare law, recognizing that their constituents may be in favor of the ACA’s many protections.  

    April 23, 2018
    American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

    Study Finds Trends and Disparities in EOL Care for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

    Studies suggest that patients with hematologic malignancies receive more aggressive end-of-life (EOL) care than those with solid tumors. 

    December 11, 2017
    What Oncology Nurses Need to Know About Cultural Differences During End-of-Life Care
    End of life (EOL)

    What Oncology Nurses Need to Know About Cultural Differences During End-of-Life Care

    Beyond the emotional complexities of end-of-life care, a multitude of cultural nuances and differences can affect the care that oncology nurses need to provide to their patients and family members. As the face of the healthcare team, oncology nurses are often called on to navigate this delicate area within the cancer continuum.

    November 14, 2017
    Comfort Care Concerns
    Pain management

    The Case of the Comfort Care Concerns

    Phil is a 63-year-old man who is admitted to the inpatient oncology unit for severe pain resulting from metastatic small cell lung cancer. His wife and two daughters are at his bedside. Earlier in the day, the medical oncologist discussed additional treatment options or hospice care. Phil decided on comfort care with the hope of getting his pain managed and going home on hospice.

    September 19, 2017
    inferior palliative care for minority oncology patients
    End of life (EOL)

    Ethnic Minority Patients May Receive Inferior End-of-Life Care

    According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, African American and Hispanic patients with ovarian cancer who lived in Texas were more likely to receive invasive or toxic treatment and be admitted to intensive care in their final month of life than their Caucasian counterparts.

    August 09, 2017
    ASCO Annual Meeting

    Chemotherapy Use Near the End of Life Is More Common in United States

    National guidelines suggest that the use of chemotherapy near end of life (EOL) is aggressive and is associated with poorer patient quality of life. In addition, Medicare payments for outpatient chemotherapy have decreased since around 2005–2006. In a recent study presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting, researchers evaluated the impact of U.S. payment reform and guidelines on chemotherapy use at EOL, comparing chemotherapy use at EOL in the United States and other countries.

    June 05, 2017
    Clinical practice

    Identifying Medication Errors in Hospice Care

    Medication errors are difficult to quantify in home hospice care, since the patients and their families are doing most of the medication administration themselves. This is a story about how one family members’ inquisitive attitude and partnership with her husband’s hospice nurse prevented a potentially serious medication error.
    November 30, 2016
    End of life (EOL)

    Ethical Dilemmas at the End of Life

    Oncology nurses are often called on to act as mediators through difficult moments, advocating for their patients while connecting caregivers with the resources that will help them during a challenging time.
    September 06, 2016
    Cancer patient receiving palliative care
    End of life (EOL)

    National Academy of Sciences Podcast on End-of-Life Care

    The National Academies of Sciences has created a new podcast on the subject of end-of-life care. The series will deal with palliative care, patient-provider communication, and coordinated care.
    April 18, 2016
    End of life (EOL)

    Death With Dignity Provides Options for Patients at the End of Life

    As advances in medicine and technology allow more people to live longer, fuller lives, our already-burdened healthcare system is experiencing unique problems. An aging body is often accompanied by complex, debilitating illnesses. The incapacitating nature of advanced disease coupled with the fears of pain, suffering, and loss of autonomy at the end of life, bring forth the question of quality versus quantity of life. Ubiquitous opinions surrounding ethical and moral decisions make right-to-die issues a controversial but increasingly significant topic.
    February 09, 2016
    When chemotherapy becomes futile treatment
    Clinical practice

    Chemotherapy Near the End of Life Questioned

    A new study has added to the growing body of medical literature questioning widespread use of chemotherapy near the end of life in patients with cancer who have poor prognoses. The findings were reported in JAMA Oncology.
    October 13, 2015
    Benefits of palliative chemotherapy
    Chemotherapy

    Balance Harms and Benefits of Palliative Chemotherapy at End of Life

    The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently identified end-of-life chemotherapy as one of the top-five practices that could improve patients’ care and reduce costs, if stopped.
    May 20, 2014
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