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    The Case of the Cord Blood Match
    Clinical practice
    The Case of the Cord Blood Match
    March 26, 2021
    Empower Recent Graduate Nurses to Be Patient Advocates
    Nurse empowerment
    Empower Recent Graduate Nurses to Be Patient Advocates
    March 19, 2021
    Shared Governance Committees Empower Nurses to Use Their Voice
    Nurse empowerment
    Shared Governance Committees Empower Nurses to Use Their Voice
    March 12, 2021
    Nursing Students Connect Beyond the Classroom With ONS Resources
    Nursing education
    Nursing Students Connect Beyond the Classroom With ONS Resources
    March 05, 2021
    COVID-19 Affects Cancer Caregivers, but Here Are Ways to Support Them
    COVID-19
    COVID-19 Affects Cancer Caregivers, but Here Are Ways to Support Them
    February 19, 2021
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    Quality of care

    Be Honest: Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
    Nurse self-care

    Be Honest: Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

    A full night’s sleep is a necessity, not a luxury, yet many people place sleep at the end of their priority list. Rather than seeing it as restorative, they think it takes up precious time to be productive. Many proudly proclaim, “You can sleep when you’re dead,” but ignoring healthy sleep habits can actually bring people closer to that end. Insufficient sleep is so pervasive in the United States that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers it a public health epidemic.

    May 28, 2020
    Patient-Centered Care Through the Oncology Care Model
    Quality of care

    Patient-Centered Care Through the Oncology Care Model

    Better care. Smarter spending. Healthier people. Those are the three hallmark goals of the Oncology Care Model, a value-based payment system developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s Center for Innovation.

    October 01, 2019
    ONS Congress

    Considerations for Care of LGBTQ+ Patients With Cancer

    Cancer in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) population has remained underresearched, and information that is known is less likely to reach oncology professionals who could use it to improve care. In “Care of the LGBTQ+ Patient With Cancer,” Carlton Brown, RN, PhD, AOCN®, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of Zenith Health Care Solutions, Inc., in Portland, OR, and David Rice, PhD, MSN, RN, NP, NEA-BC, director of education, evidence-based practice, and research at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA, examined the delivery of quality cancer care in people identifying as LGBTQ+, along with strategies for addressing their unique needs and minimizing barriers to care. They presented the session on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at the ONS 44th Annual Congress in Anaheim, CA.

    April 11, 2019
    How Shared Decision Making Affects Cancer Care
    Shared decision making (SDM)

    How Shared Decision Making Affects Cancer Care

    “Two heads are better than one” is an idiom so old and often used that it borders on cliché. But as with most colloquial sayings, a kernel of truth is buried underneath. Combining forces to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and coordinate efforts is the key to nearly every successful endeavor, and it’s especially true for patients and providers navigating the cancer journey. 

    April 02, 2019
    Joint Commission Focuses on Quality, Safety for 2019
    Safety

    Joint Commission Focuses on Quality, Safety for 2019

    As part of its ongoing work “to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value,” the Joint Commission hosts an annual Health Care Association Forum to educate associations about the commission’s latest initiatives and goals. Here are the outcomes that affect nursing practice in 2019.

    March 27, 2019
    2019 Will Be a Strategic Bridge Year as ONS Looks Ahead to a New Decade
    ONS News

    2019 Will Be a Strategic Bridge Year as ONS Looks Ahead to a New Decade

    Oncology nurses have seen many changes in the past decade with significant improvements in cancer treatment, better symptom management and palliative care, and enhanced care coordination. But much work needs to be done as we look toward the future.

    January 07, 2019
     How Do Nurse Practitioners Support Patients With Cancer During Radiation?
    Radiation therapy

    How Do Nurse Practitioners Support Patients With Cancer During Radiation?

    Nurse practitioners provide quality and value in radiation oncology clinics. By managing the effects of radiation during and after treatment, as well as following patients into survivorship, nurse practitioners are continually improving the quality of care that patients receive during and following treatment.

    June 05, 2018
    Quality of care

    Providing Quality Healthcare to Different Patient Populations

    During a session at the 43rd Annual Congress in Washington, DC, various speakers discussed their work in providing quality health care to vulnerable patient populations.

    May 18, 2018
    Federal Officials Say No to Lifetime Limits on Medicaid; Empowered Patients Are the Future of Health Care; Healthcare Jobs Continue to Grow Faster Than Jobs in the General Economy
    Health Policy

    Federal Officials Say No to Lifetime Limits on Medicaid; Empowered Patients Are the Future of Health Care; Healthcare Jobs Continue to Grow Faster Than Jobs in the General Economy

    On May 7, 2018, the White House told the Department of Health and Human Services to overturn Kansas’s new lifetime limit restrictions on Medicaid. Kansas has been leading the way for states looking to implement restrictions to federal benefits. The state previously implemented work requirements for Medicaid recipients and was trying to impose time limits for how long recipients could receive Medicaid for some time. Had its efforts stood, this would mark a fundamental shift in how the federal program is implemented at the state level.

    May 14, 2018
    Use These Methods to Evaluate EBP Outcomes and Disseminate Results
    Nursing evidence-based practice

    Use These Methods to Evaluate EBP Outcomes and Disseminate Results

    One of the most important but often challenging steps in the evidence-based practice (EBP) process is ensuring that the change we wanted to happen actually occurred. After a practice change has been implemented, it’s important to ask if the expected outcome was achieved. Patient-related outcomes can be psychosocial (change in symptoms such as depression or anxiety), physiologic (reduction in catheter-associated urinary tract infections), or functional (increased exercise or mobility). Outcomes can also be process related, such as reduced readmissions or more efficient discharge planning.  

    April 19, 2018
    Supportive Care Programs for Patients With Cancer
    Patient Support

    Supportive Care Programs for Patients With Cancer

    Focusing on a patient’s quality of life is often a key component to their successful cancer journey. Treating their disease is crucial, but patients have to be recognized as individuals with unique and varying needs. Addressing their emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychosocial stressors can help provide holistic treatment that’s at the heart of successful oncology care.

    April 02, 2018
    CMS Releases Report on Oncology Care Model
    Quality Outcomes

    CMS Releases Report on Oncology Care Model

    The cost of cancer care and the quality of patient services has always been a top priority in health care. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center has been working to strengthen both elements of care. CMS, through its Oncology Care Model (OCM) division, works with cancer care providers to develop payment strategies and performance categories in treatment plans for patients with cancer.

    April 01, 2018
    New HHS Secretary Azar Aims to Tackle Drug Prices, Affordable Care
    Health Policy

    New HHS Secretary Azar Aims to Tackle Drug Prices, Affordable Care

    On January 24, 2018, the Senate officially confirmed the nomination of Alex Azar, the newest secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Azar replaces former HHS secretary Tom Price, a physician who stepped down in late 2017. Although confirmed along party lines, Azar’s long governmental experience had plenty of support despite his past connections to the pharmaceutical industry.

    March 07, 2018
    APNs Have a Role in Leading Value-Based Care
    Advanced practice nursing (APN)

    APNs Have a Role in Leading Value-Based Care

    Recent care delivery models have focused on providing value-based care to patients. The changes provide opportunity for APNs to take a leadership role in implementing models and systems to effectively deliver that care. Here’s what APNs need to know about the new models.

    December 15, 2017
    Clinical Nurse Specialists
    Advanced practice nursing (APN)

    Overcome Barriers to Your Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice

    As an oncology clinical nurse specialist (CNS), you may find yourself answering over and over the question of, “What is it you do?” In many instances, it is a broader role then most may realize, and you wear several hats. As you explain to other oncology staff what a CNS does, focus on the three spheres of influence.

    September 14, 2017
    Susan Schneider
    Quality of care

    Oncology Nurses Need to Advocate for Access to Quality Care

    Specialized Knowledge: Quality Care. This is my ONS presidential platform. In several columns, I have discussed how ONS resources can provide you with the specialized knowledge and expertise to provide quality care. This issue, I’d like to focus on quality care.

    September 07, 2017
    ONS Congress

    Personalize Quality-of-Life Measures to Improve Patient Experiences

    Quality of life (QOL) is a complicated construct and has been defined many ways. Barbara Anne Biedrzycki, PhD, CRNP, AOCNP®, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, presented the following view: “Quality of life is achieved when our hopes are matched and fulfilled by our experiences.” She encouraged participants to have a holistic perspective of QOL but to keep in mind that QOL is very individualized—its definition and meaning are different to each individual, and each person finds some factors to be more important than others.

    July 03, 2017
    ONS Congress

    Data Aggregate System Seeks Oncology Nurse Ambassadors

    During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO—on what happened to be National Nurses Day—the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) asked nurses to consider joining an initiative intended to gather, collate, and disseminate massive amounts of data to enhance evidence-based cancer diagnosis and treatment.

    July 02, 2017
    ONS Congress

    Improve Patient Care by Reaching Benchmark Standards

    Nurses and patients know that nursing care makes a difference. During a session at the 42nd Annual Congress in Denver, CO, David Rice, PhD, RN, NP, director of professional practice and education at the City of Hope National Medical Center, encouraged nurses to take strides to prove it by using benchmarks and data.

    July 02, 2017
    CancerLinQ
    Clinical practice

    How ONS and Oncology Nursing Are Helping to Define Big Data and Cancer Care

    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.

    June 15, 2017
    Nurse on Computer
    Clinical practice

    ONS and ASCO CancerLinQ Partnership Will Help Institutions Use Practice Data to Drive Greater Cancer Care

    Offering personalized treatment plans to patients with cancer is one of the biggest goals for any oncology institution—big or small. ONS leaders and members have united their personal and organizational efforts to move cancer care toward personalization while still aligning the needs of patients with nationally recognized clinical guidelines. Oncology nurses consistently strive to deliver quality cancer care to their patients.

    March 08, 2017
    How the Oncology Care Model Is Redefining Quality Care
    Quality of care

    How the Oncology Care Model Is Redefining Quality Care

    Oncology institutions across the United States are implementing big change in the way nurses and physicians deliver care to patients with cancer. By highlighting quality care and smart spending, facilities are reimagining the way cancer is treated in America. New procedures, research, and technology have redefined the way cancer is treated, so a new system for delivery and reimbursement is vital to ensure that quality care can be delivered at a reasonable cost.

    March 01, 2017
    Ron Kline, MD, FAAP
    Quality of care

    How Are We Creating a New Payment Model for Oncology Care?

    Oncology care is a complex, expensive, and often-fragmented area of medicine. To understand the potential need for a new payment model in oncology care, a thorough evaluation of all the data was important. By reviewing the oncology literature associated with costs and quality, we discovered that there were wide variations in the costs associated with the treatment of advanced cancers, but little variation in the outcomes of patients. We also identified gaps in patient care that we thought could be improved.

    February 28, 2017
    Jill Beavers-Kirby, DNP, MS, ACNP-BC
    Advance care planning

    My Experience Lobbying for Cancer Care Planning in Washington, DC

    In late June, I had the opportunity to wear two advocacy hats: one for ONS, and one for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS). It was an incredible experience to walk the halls of the U.S. Congress to help educate elected officials and their staff on legislation that affects cancer care.
    July 27, 2016
    Cancer healthcare advocacy

    National Quality Forum Seeks Comments for Quality Measures

    The National Quality Forum (NQF) Cancer Project 2015–2017 seeks to identify and endorse performance measures for accountability reporting and quality improvement that specifically address conditions, treatments, interventions, or procedures relating to cancer. A detailed overview of the goals/objectives of the Cancer Project is provided by NQF.

    July 20, 2016
    Oncology health literacy

    The Impact of Health Literacy on Safety and Quality

    A person with adequate health literacy has the ability to access, understand, and act on health-related information. Safety and quality can suffer when a person is limited in any one of these components.
    May 04, 2016
    Nursing education

    ACOS Commission on Cancer Issues 2016 Program Standards to Clarify Nursing Training, Patient Care Continuum

    The American College of Surgeons (ACOS) recently released clarifications for program standards related to oncology nurse training and patient-centered care in the Cancer Program Standards: Ensuring Patient-Centered Care (2016 Edition) Manual.
    February 12, 2016
    Oncology patient hires private advocate
    Patient advocacy

    What Nurses Need to Know About Private Patient Advocates

    Navigating the healthcare system as a patient with cancer, with multiple treatment options, frequent appointments, diagnostic tests, new medications, and insurance complications, is confusing and can become overwhelming. Advocacy is one crucial role a nurse fulfills, providing education and support to assist patients with making decisions and managing their condition.
    February 02, 2016
    Oncology nurses improve quality of patient care
    Access to cancer care

    IOM Report on Quality Cancer Care Has Implications for Oncology Nurses

    Since its pivotal report in 2001, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has advocated for improving the quality of U.S. health care. To that effect, the IOM’s latest report outlines a systematic plan to help the U.S. healthcare system meet that goal.
    January 21, 2014
    Prostate cancer

    Prostate Cancer Nursing Management Is Critical to Quality Care

    Prostate cancer nursing management must be well understood because prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men after skin cancer; however, prostate cancer can be successfully treated. According to the American Cancer Society, more than two million men in the United States are prostate cancer survivors.
    September 18, 2013
    Improving healthcare delivery process with Lean
    Quality of care

    Lean, Mean, Patient-Care Machine

    “At first glance, you could say that applying manufacturing processes to health care is cold or impersonal,” Holly Dowling, RN, BSN, OCN®, clinical nurse educator for ambulatory hematology/oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, says.
    September 03, 2013
    Nurse self-care

    Enhance Nursing Practice and Patient Care by Fostering Wellness and Self-​​Healing for Nurses

    Fos­ter­ing Well­ness and Heal­ing at Work
    May 06, 2012
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