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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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    Healthcare safety standards

    Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc., Issues Voluntary Recall of Epinephrine USP, Bulk API, Because of Product Discoloration
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

    Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc., Issues Voluntary Recall of Epinephrine USP, Bulk API, Because of Product Discoloration

    On January 9, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc., issued a voluntarily recall of three lots of epinephrine (l-adrenaline), USP, used to manufacture or compound prescription products, at the user level because of customer reports that the product is discolored.

    January 12, 2023
    Latest CDC Clinical Practice Guideline Facilitates Safe Use of Opioids for Pain
    Patient safety

    Latest CDC Clinical Practice Guideline Facilitates Safe Use of Opioids for Pain

    Giving providers the latest evidence to inform the safe use and management of opioid prescriptions for cancer-related and other types of short- and long-term pain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated and expanded its recommendations in November 2022. The updated information was published in the CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain, which replaces the 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.

    January 09, 2023
    Exela Pharma Sciences, LLC, Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Sodium Bicarbonate Injection Because of Vial Breakage
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

    Exela Pharma Sciences, LLC, Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Sodium Bicarbonate Injection Because of Vial Breakage

    On October 13, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Exela Pharma Sciences, LLC’s, voluntary recall of 49 lots of sodium bicarbonate injection, USP, 8.4%, 50 mEq/50 ml vial, 20-count carton, to the consumer level because of potential vial breakage and flying glass when pressurized while preparing for administration.

    October 14, 2022
    National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Creates Path Out of Pandemic
    COVID-19

    National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Creates Path Out of Pandemic

    President Joe Biden released the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in March 2022, enabling the United States to move forward with goals to protect against and treat COVID-19, prepare for new variants, prevent economic and educational shutdowns, and expand vaccinations.

    March 25, 2022
    Legislators, Professional Organizations Advocate for Safety Protections for Healthcare Workers
    COVID-19

    Legislators, Professional Organizations Advocate for Safety Protections for Healthcare Workers

    Shortly after emergency workplace safety standards were removed and guidance on isolation time following a positive COVID-19 test result was updated, healthcare workers and administrations urged legislators to issue protections for the profession. To ensure their voices were heard, House of Representatives legislators Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) and Alma Adams (D-NC) wrote a letter to President Joe Biden and Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to advocate for a reversal.

    March 24, 2022
    Study Ranks U.S. Healthcare Industry Dead Last Among Other High-Income Countries
    Healthcare safety standards

    Study Ranks U.S. Healthcare Industry Dead Last Among Other High-Income Countries

    The United States is worst among 11 high-income countries in delivery of and access to health care, according to an August 2021 study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, despite spending the most, by far, of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care than other countries surveyed. The survey used indicators across domains on access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and healthcare outcomes to compare healthcare system performance. Overall, the top-performing countries were Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia.

    September 01, 2021
    OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect Healthcare Workers From COVID-19
    Healthcare safety standards

    OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect Healthcare Workers From COVID-19

    “Frontline healthcare workers have a nearly 12-times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 compared with individuals in the general community,” according to the results of a 2020 study. Although U.S. vaccination rates continue to increase and infection rates continue to decrease, national government entities such as the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are releasing new guidelines to help protect those who are putting themselves at risk for transmission so they can care for others.

    June 21, 2021
    Senate Bill Addresses PPE Shortage
    Personal protective equipment (PPE)

    Senate Bill Addresses PPE Shortage

    As the country sees dramatic spikes in COVID-19 coronavirus cases in fall 2020, political leaders are seeking to find solutions to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers on the front lines. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Protect Our Heroes Act of 2020 to increase the production of PPE and spur oversight into the supply and distribution of these necessary medical supplies. 

    December 16, 2020
    Nurses Account for Largest Group of Healthcare Providers With COVID-19 Infections
    COVID-19

    Nurses Account for Largest Group of Healthcare Providers With COVID-19 Infections

    Nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are at greater risk of infection than other clinicians, according to the COVID-19 Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Nurse-related occupations, including nurses and certified nursing assistants, represent the largest proportion (36%) of healthcare providers hospitalized with COVID-19. The national survey brought to light what many nurses may have already known: nursing as a profession bears the brunt of the pandemic.

    November 27, 2020
    Healthcare Worker Shortage; Trump Clashes With Big Pharma; Surprise Billing
    Nurse staffing

    Healthcare Worker Shortage; Trump Clashes With Big Pharma; Surprise Billing

    Houston, TX, Miami, FL, and Baton Rouge, LA, are three of the many cities battling repercussions from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Most daunting is the perpetuated shortage of healthcare workers as the pandemic continues to ravage the United States.

    August 03, 2020
    What’s Working and What Isn’t in Telemedicine
    Oncology nurse education

    What’s Working and What Isn’t in Telemedicine

    Half of all healthcare professionals have started using telemedicine in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Patients and providers are trying to adjust to such rapid changes in the provision of health care. Providers want to know how to get reimbursement for telemedicine visits. Society is working together to answer the critical questions about this next wave of health care.

    July 31, 2020
    Nurse-Turned-Policymaker; Prescription Drug Reform; Safer Working Conditions
    Oncology nurse influence

    Nurse-Turned-Policymaker; Prescription Drug Reform; Safer Working Conditions

    As one of the youngest members of the 2018 freshman congressional class, U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL) has already made quite a name for herself. Eschewing, for the most part in this heightened environment, partisanship and instead concentrating on health and economic issues, the representative champions access and affordability for all Americans.

    July 27, 2020
    Telehealth Boom Opens New Roles for Oncology Nursing
    Oncology nursing roles

    Telehealth Boom Opens New Roles for Oncology Nursing

    Seemingly overnight, many patients went from viewing telehealth as an intimidating frontier to embracing it with gusto. Fortunately, health care has prepared for years to put the infrastructure and people in place to support telehealth expansion.

    July 15, 2020
    How COVID-19 Is Affecting Oncology Practice in South Korea
    COVID-19

    How COVID-19 Is Affecting Oncology Practice in South Korea

    Oncology nurses around the world are seeing the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in their practices. At my facility in South Korea, nurses’ daily routines have changed and institution-wide shifts have affected patients with cancer, too. 

    May 08, 2020
    U.S. Surgeon General on COVID-19: 'It's Going to Get Bad' 
    COVID-19

    U.S. Surgeon General on COVID-19: 'It's Going to Get Bad' 

    Deployed to provide expert medical advice about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, made media rounds the first week of April 2020. Although the news he shared wasn’t positive, it was a necessary message that the United States needed to hear.

    April 08, 2020
    White House: We Need the American People’s Help to Fight Coronavirus
    Safety

    White House: We Need the American People’s Help to Fight Coronavirus

    With almost daily public briefings, the White House is taking a more aggressive approach to communicating updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus to the American population.  

    April 01, 2020
    Healthcare Industry Relies on Public Amid COVID-19 PPE Supply Shortage
    COVID-19

    Healthcare Industry Looks to Public Amid COVID-19 PPE Supply Shortage

    Nurses and other healthcare providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, face shields, and N95 face masks. But grassroots efforts from citizens and companies are bringing PPE donations or funneling supplies from donors to medical facilities in response to pleas from the healthcare community.  

    March 27, 2020
    culture of safety for cancer patients
    Safety

    Take Patients From Falls Risk to Mobility

    Promoting a culture of safety is the responsibility of all members of the healthcare team. Nurses and advanced practice providers have a unique role in ensuring patient safety, especially through interventions aimed at reducing the risk of falls and falls with injury. Hundreds of thousands of hospitalized patients fall each year, each costing organizations an average additional $14,000 and resulting in more than six additional hospital days. Up to 30% of falls result in injury, including fractures, decreased mobility, and a loss of independence.

    November 09, 2017
    USP <800> Implementation Delayed
    Safety

    USP <800> Implementation Delayed to December 2019

    The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) announced on September 29, 2017, it would delay the implementation of USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings to coordinate its implementation with chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding—Sterile Preparations.  According to USP, chapter <797> is still undergoing revisions and will be available for public comment in fall 2018. UPS <800> was set for implementation by July 1, 2018, but both chapters are now expected to become official on December 1, 2019.

    October 05, 2017
    Healthcare safety standards

    ONS Connects You to Cutting-Edge Standards to Support Your Practice

    Although it’s hard to find the time to do so during a busy shift, there are times when you need to consult the best practice standards to support your work for a particular process. Whether you’re considering the best procedure for a central line dressing change or accessing an implanted port, or you’re considering the verification process and the best way to administer an IV chemotherapy agent, you need to know that your policies—and the competencies which you've engrained into your memory—are evidence-based and supported by your institution and professional organizations. Quality outcomes and measurements have never been more central to health care than they are now, and ONS-developed standards go a long way to supporting your practice.
    November 21, 2016
    Healthcare safety standards

    Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Prevention Resources

    Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) can derail your cancer patients' treatment plan.  Learn more about HAIs and access resources to help reduce this risk.  Tools from CDC and Prevent Cancer Infections.org are available HERE, courtesy of BD.

    August 05, 2016
    FDA regulations on pain medication labels
    Healthcare safety standards

    FDA Warns About Opioid Pain Medication and Requires Label Changes

    In response to a growing concern about opioid use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning in March about prescription pain medications. The agency issued new guidelines for labeling to highlight risks associated with the use of certain drugs, including opioids.
    April 18, 2016
    Healthcare safety standards

    CDC Guidelines May Limit Cancer Survivor Access to Chronic Pain Medications

    Between doses of chemotherapy and radiation, while enduring needle sticks and blood draws, during oral administration of nausea-inducing drugs, patients with cancer often find themselves inundated with a number of painful symptoms associated with their litany of treatments and the disease itself. Unfortunately for many, this pain may never go away.
    April 05, 2016
    Healthcare safety standards

    Joint Commission Toolkit Aims to Decrease Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections

    Recent studies show that approximately 41,000 patients in the United States alone develop central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) annually and that CLABSIs are one of the most deadly types of healthcare-associated infections.
    November 25, 2013
    Cancer screening

    USPSTF Draft Recommendations Now Suggest Annual Lung Cancer Screening in High-Risk Individuals

    Adequate evidence suggests that annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography in current and former smokers aged 55–79 years who have significant cumulative tobacco smoke exposure can prevent a substantial number of lung cancer deaths, according to draft guidelines issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
    August 13, 2013
    Cancer screening

    Controversial Cancer Screening Guidelines Can Help Nurses Start the Screening Conversation

    The con­tro­versy over prostate can­cer screen­ing guide­lines heated up last Novem­ber
    August 01, 2012
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