Skip to main content
Search
News, Views, and Advocacy From the Oncology Nursing Society
ONS Voice Home
  • News & Views
  • Advocacy
  • Stories
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • News & Views
    • Latest Articles
    • Clinical Practice
    • ONS News
    • ONS Leadership
    Trending Topics
    • Research
    • Treatments
    • Safety
    • COVID-19
    • Drug Reference Sheet
    • Special Populations
    View All Topics
    Advocacy
    • Latest Articles
    • Updates
    • Get Involved
    Stories View All
    View All
    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
    previous slide
    next slide
    Search
  • News & Views
  • Advocacy
  • Stories
  • Topic

    Interdisciplinary teams

    Independent Advocates Help Patients With Dementia Navigate Cancer Care
    Care coordination

    Independent Advocates Help Patients With Dementia Navigate Cancer Care

    Clinicians have an implicit—if not explicit—obligation to advocate for their patients. However, as health care’s complexity increases, independent advocates can help patients navigate systematic challenges throughout the continuum. Independent advocates follow the patient, not the reimbursement constraints, a chief distinction between us and clinical, facility, or agency case managers.

    June 09, 2022
    The Evolution of Ambulatory Care
    Care coordination

    The Evolution of Ambulatory Care

    Ambulatory oncology began to gradually evolve in the mid-2000s to include multiple aspects of the care continuum. Then suddenly, a pandemic skyrocketed that growth as institutions Raced to develop their ambulatory infrastructure to meet new and changing needs.

    April 05, 2022
    The Pharmacist’s Role in Combination Cancer Treatments
    Combination therapy

    The Pharmacist’s Role in Combination Cancer Treatments

    Since the first checkpoint inhibitor was approved in 2011, we have made tremendous leaps in immunotherapy in a short span of 10 years. Now we see immunotherapy combined with a variety of options, including chemotherapy or other oral and IV targeted therapy.

    February 01, 2022
    The Case of the GVHD Double-Take
    Treatment side effects

    The Case of the GVHD Double-Take

    Jeff is a 60-year-old patient with myeloproliferative disease. After his care team secured a 9/10 match, he received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with a conditioning regimen of fludarabine and melphalan. Neutrophil engraftment occurred at day 20, and he was discharged to home shortly after engraftment. One month later, he presented to the clinic with abdominal pain and a new diffuse erythematous rash, which his care team initially treated with corticosteroids. However, his abdominal pain persisted, and Jeff was admitted to the hospital a few days later for further workup for suspected acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). A computed tomography scan of his abdomen demonstrated worsening enterocolitis because of Yersinia enterocolitica. What would you do?

    August 24, 2021
    Maximize Your Words’ Healing Power
    Clinical practice

    Maximize Your Words’ Healing Power

    Effectively treating a cancer diagnosis requires an immense amount of collaboration. Clinicians are equipped with the clinical knowledge to provide the best care possible, and sharing that crucial information with each other and patients is essential for optimal patient outcomes. 

    June 01, 2021
    ONS Congress

    Radiation Oncology Nurses Must Innovate and Transform in Today’s Workplace

    In a highly technical environment, radiation oncology nurses’ role on the interprofessional team is both critical and flourishing. But it’s also ever-evolving, speakers explained during a session on April 27, 2021, for the 46th Annual ONS Congress™.

    April 27, 2021
    What Is the Role of Genetic Counselors in Cancer Care?
    Genetics & genomics

    What Is the Role of Genetic Counselors in Cancer Care?

    Our understanding of cancer’s genetic components is constantly growing, with new cancer susceptibility genes discovered every year that change how we screen for and treat cancer. Genetics specialists keep up with the latest information and implications of genetic results is and can be a great addition to comprehensive oncology teams.

    December 15, 2020
    ONS Bridge

    Advanced Practice Nurses Are at the Heart of Patient Care in Cardio-Oncology

    Cardiovascular disease and cancer, the two leading causes of mortality worldwide, share risk factors that have a direct impact on patient care and survival. During a session for the inaugural ONS Bridge™ virtual conference, Anecita P. Fadol, PhD, APRN, FAANP, FAAN, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discussed what advanced practice nurses need to know about the evolving specialty of cardio-oncology to improve patient outcomes.

    September 17, 2020
    ONS Bridge

    What Oncology Nurses Should Know About Medical Physicists in Radiation Oncology

    As many as 50% of patients with cancer receive treatment with radiation therapy with the goal of cure or reducing pain and other symptoms. During a presentation at the inaugural ONS Bridge™ virtual conference, Sotiri Stathakis, PhD, DABR, offered nurses insights into the field from the perspective of a medical physicist.

    September 10, 2020
    How Can Oncology Nurses Collaborate With Dietitians to Manage Malnutrition?
    Treatment side effects

    How Can Oncology Nurses Collaborate With Dietitians to Manage Malnutrition?

    Nutrition impact symptoms (NIS) involve any barrier to a patient’s nutritional status. Cancer and its treatments often lead to complex side effects that develop rapidly and change in character and intensity throughout treatment. Barriers to eating and drinking, digesting, and absorbing nutrients lead to negative clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, including malnutrition. Prompt assessment and interventions are key to helping patients avoid treatment holidays and dose reductions while also promoting the best possible quality of life during their cancer journey. In fact, a weight loss of just 5% is an indicator that a patient will likely not receive all of his or her prescribed cancer treatment.

    November 05, 2019
    USP <800> Brings Change, Collaboration to Pharmacy and Nursing
    Safety

    USP <800> Brings Change, Collaboration to Pharmacy and Nursing

    U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) chapter <800> provides safety measures for all healthcare workers in any setting where hazardous drugs (HDs) are used in the health system. For situations from the initial delivery of the drug to the institution through administration and disposal, USP <800> provides a vast number of safety measures intended to minimize risk and potential exposure to HDs. To meet the new requirements, medical institutions and pharmacies have had to make significant changes in various systems.

    September 03, 2019
    Collaboration Is Key to CAR T-Cell Therapy Management Across Settings
    Immunotherapy

    Collaboration Is Key to CAR T-Cell Therapy Management Across Settings

    As of February 2019, only 160 institutions across the United States are certified to administer CAR T-cell therapy, meaning many eligible patients may need to be referred to a treatment center outside of the local ambulatory or community cancer center where they had previously received treatment. The transition from primary oncologist to certified center and back again requires careful coordination to ensure important steps and information aren’t lost.

    July 09, 2019
    ONS Congress

    Interprofessional Collaboration Is Essential for Optimal Chemoradiation Outcomes

    Navigating patients through radiation treatments can be challenging when they are undergoing concurrent therapy. Coordination of multiple providers across different specialties, side effect management, and scheduling can be overwhelming. During a session at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA, Dorothy Abshire, BSN, BA, RN, OCN®, of Baylor Scott and White McClinton Cancer Center, Waco, TX, explained how oncology nurses can help patients navigate complicated treatment regimens that involve both chemotherapy and radiation therapies.

    April 13, 2019
    What Is the Role of Interprofessional Teams in a BMT Unit?
    Interdisciplinary teams

    What Is the Role of Interprofessional Teams in a BMT Unit?

    The old saying, “it takes a village,” comes to mind. Many team members are needed to help a patient through one of the most critical times of their lives. Blood and marrow transplant (BMT) nurses play a large role, along with BMT physicians. However, we also depend on our BMT pharmacist, BMT dietician, and BMT social worker as part of the interprofessional team. Our patients not only need excellent nursing and medical care, but they also need care from members of the team to support them physically, psychologically, and nutritionally from transplant prep through the transplant itself and into the recovery phase.

    March 05, 2018
    Interprofessional Collaborations Improve Cancer Care
    Interdisciplinary teams

    Interprofessional Collaborations Improve Cancer Care

    When faced with a difficult problem, it’s human nature to seek different perspectives, to work together with others facing similar issues to accomplish a common goal. Compromise, collaboration, and communication are essential to successful teams—whether it’s your daughter’s basketball team, the U.S. government, or any group in between. In oncology, teamwork is no different. Bringing together professionals from different disciplines can yield tremendous results for patients with cancer.

    March 05, 2018
    Involve the Palliative Care Team Early to Minimize Symptom Impact
    Symptom management

    Involve the Palliative Care Team Early to Minimize Symptom Impact

    Patients with cancer experience many feelings: they’re frightened and they’re hopeful, but mostly they’re in a new world. Symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment are taxing on patients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In some cases, cancer-related symptoms and side effects are so debilitating that providers struggle to manage them just to get patients to a point where they can continue their treatment. Oncology nurses can lead the interprofessional care team to work together to proactively manage symptoms to ensure patients can endure treatment and come out as themselves on the other side. Proper symptom management doesn’t just promote quality of life but the best possible chance for patient survival.

    December 05, 2017
    Oncology and ICU Nurses Working Together
    Interdisciplinary teams

    How Can Oncology and ICU Nurses Work Together to Treat Critically Ill Patients With Cancer?

    Nurses in the intensive care unit (ICU) generally see patients with cancer only when they are extremely sick—not throughout the extensive cancer journey they go through before they get to the ICU. Educating and familiarizing ourselves, as ICU nurses, with a patient’s oncology plan, goals, and history can improve overall care. Learning at which points in the process of cancer treatment certain issues are more likely to arise, such as tumor lysis syndrome during high-dose induction, when a patient is most likely to be neutropenic during a stem cell transplant, and other general facts about oncology, can help improve the care we give. It helps us understand our patients as a whole. The oncology population is a huge part of medical intensive care, and encouraging critical care nurses and oncology nurses to collaborate can help improve the continuity of care and eliminate errors in the ICU.

    July 01, 2017
    Critical Care for Patients With Cancer
    Clinical practice

    Critical Care for Patients With Cancer

    Five to Ten Percent of patients with cancer will need to visit the intensive care unit (ICU) for a life-threatening condition. In fact, estimates suggest that nearly 30% of patients with esophageal cancer or acute leukemia and those undergoing allogenic stem cell transplantation will need ICU care.

    July 01, 2017
    Oncology Nurse Advisor Navigation Summit

    Leadership Strategies for Nursing Excellence

    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.

    June 17, 2017
    ONS Congress

    Handoff Tool Promotes Nurse-to-Nurse Communication to Avoid Patient Adverse Events

    RuthAnn Gordon, MSN,FNP-BC, OCN®, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and co-authors presented the findings during a poster session at the ONS 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO. The poster was titled “Utilizing Nurse to Nurse Handoff Communication to Manage Immune Related Adverse Events in an Outpatient Immunotherapy Clinic.”

    May 05, 2017
    ONS Congress

    Improved Nurse and Pharmacist Communications Optimizes the Medication Use Process

    Judy Ranous, BSN, RN, OCN®, from the Froedtert Hospital in Wisconsin, and coauthors presented their poster entitled “Design and Implementation of an Oncology and Pharmacy Nursing Committee to Optimize Interdisciplinary Communication and Patient Safety” at the 42nd Annual ONS Congress in Denver, CO.  

    May 05, 2017
    Puzzle cube illustration
    Coordinated care

    The Impact of Comorbidities on Patient Care

    More than ever before, oncology nurses are required to provide multifaceted care when it comes to managing patients with cancer. As the population of patients with cancer continues to age and cancer becomes more of a chronic condition, oncology nurses are seeing more patients who exhibit comorbidities during their cancer journey.

    January 30, 2017
    Care coordination

    How Do You Support Individual Expertise in a Coordinated Cancer Team Setting?

    When we talk about advocating for patients, whether it’s as an oncology nurse or an oncology social worker, we’re talking about optimal care and quality of life. You could have the greatest treatment in the world, but if your patient doesn’t have transportation to get to that treatment, what’s the point?
    October 04, 2016
    Interdisciplinary teams

    Alpha, Beta, and Beyond: How Radiation Therapy Is Evolving in Cancer Care

    The field of radiation therapy has come a long way since the introduction of x-rays in 1896. Radiation therapy is now used in nearly 50% of all cancer cases and contributes to 40% of curative treatment. With recent advancements, radiation therapy has grown by leaps and bounds.
    August 02, 2016
    Interdisciplinary teams

    How Can You Achieve Safety Across Disciplines?

    Interdisciplinary communication is critical for patient safety across the healthcare continuum. One way our institution addressed communication barriers and looked to enhance understanding of each other’s roles was by creating an oncology service line pharmacy and nursing committee.
    July 05, 2016
    Interdisciplinary teams

    The Power of Prehabilitation

    Prehabilitation is a process along the cancer care continuum that occurs after diagnosis but before treatment begins. In a sense, it’s preparing patients for their battle ahead by introducing psychological and physical interventions “that establish a baseline functional level, identify impairments, and provide targeted interventions that improve a patient’s health to reduce the incidence and the severity of current and future impairments," according to Silver and Baima.
    May 03, 2016
    Oncology nurse education about anemia
    Adverse events

    What Do Oncology Nurses Need to Know About Blood Transfusions for Anemia?

    Approximately 90% of patients with cancer experience anemia because of disease process, treatment side effects, or coexisting conditions.
    June 02, 2015
    Trending Topics
    • Research
    • Treatments
    • Safety
    • COVID-19
    • Drug Reference Sheet
    • Special Populations
    • Clinical practice
    • U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
    • Health Policy
    • Immunotherapy
    View All Topics
     
    Home
    News, Views, and Advocacy From the Oncology Nursing Society
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us
  • Conferences
  • Advertising
  • Newsroom
  • Sitemap
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
  • ONS
  • Oncology Nursing Foundation
  • ONCC
  • © Copyright 2023 Oncology Nursing Society
     
    Back to Top ▲