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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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    Standards

    Oncology Navigation Standards Help Patients Overcome Disparities and Barriers to Care
    Cancer health disparities

    Oncology Navigation Standards Help Patients Overcome Disparities and Barriers to Care

    Patients with cancer, especially those from underrepresented groups or who are experiencing racism, inequalities, social determinants of health factors, and other barriers to care, need oncology nurse navigation now more than ever before. Developed as a “strategy to improve outcomes in marginalized populations by eliminating barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases,” navigation has made a difference for patients since its introduction in 1990.

    May 10, 2022
    Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force Releases Oncology Navigation  Standards of Professional Practice
    Press Releases

    Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force Releases Oncology Navigation Standards of Practice

    Today, six oncology-focused professional and patient organizations, including the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), published standards for use in oncology navigation care. With input from many major navigation-focused disciplines, the standards guide best practices for care providers across cancer settings.

    March 29, 2022
    Commission on Cancer Revises Its Standards. Here Are the Takeaways for Oncology Nurses.
    Standards

    Commission on Cancer Revises Its Standards. Here Are the Takeaways for Oncology Nurses.

    Oncology nurses are critical to meeting three components of the newly revised Commission on Cancer (CoC) standards released in fall 2019: certification, survivorship, and barriers to care.

    December 30, 2019
    Commission on Cancer to Revise Standards for Cancer Program Accreditation
    Standards

    Commission on Cancer to Revise Standards for Cancer Program Accreditation

    The Commission on Cancer (CoC), an organizational consortium of which ONS is a governing member, provides standards for cancer programs to follow to achieve a high level of continuous quality improvement. Last updated in 2016, the standards are currently undergoing analysis and revision, and CoC is seeking public comments until June 3, 2019.

    May 20, 2019
    Updated Scope and Standards Represent Key Foci of Oncology Nursing Practice
    Clinical practice

    Updated Scope and Standards Represent Key Foci of Oncology Nursing Practice

    To ensure that the Oncology Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice are consistent with overall nursing standards and to increase the visibility of the oncology nursing standards in the greater nursing and healthcare communities, ONS released an updated version of its reference book in March 2019. The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes oncology nursing as a nursing specialty, and the new edition carries ANA’s approval of the oncology nursing scope of practice and acknowledgement of the oncology nursing standards of practice.

    April 26, 2019
    Institution Meets Magnet Designation by Incorporating ONS Standards in Care Delivery
    Oncology nurse influence

    Institution Meets Magnet Designation by Incorporating ONS Standards in Care Delivery

    To meet or maintain Magnet designation, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program expects organizations to incorporate specialty standards and guidelines into the care delivery system. 

    October 19, 2018
    Recommended Surveillance Periods May Be Incorrect for Gynecologic Cancers
    Research

    Recommended Surveillance Periods May Be Incorrect for Gynecologic Cancers

    Standardized surveillance recommendations may be too short for patients with ovarian cancer and too long for other gynecologic cancers, according to findings from a study presented at the 2018 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.

    August 22, 2018
    What You Need to Know About Obtaining Informed Consent
    Oncology clinical trials

    What You Need to Know About Obtaining Informed Consent

    Informed consent is a comprehensive process as opposed to a check mark on a list of tasks to complete prior to starting cancer therapy. The American Society of Clinical Oncology/ONS Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards explain that informed consent provides a patient with “sufficient information about the disease diagnosis and treatment options so that the individual can make a reasonable decision about treatment on the basis of an understanding of the potential risks and anticipated benefits of the treatment.”

    May 28, 2018
    Which Is Not an ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Safety Standard?
    Chemotherapy

    Which Is Not an ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Safety Standard?

    Which of the following is NOT an ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standard?

    A. Chemotherapy orders include sequencing of agents, when applicable.  

    B. A licensed independent practitioner is on-site and readily available to staff where chemotherapy is administered.

    C. Two chemotherapy-competent RNs must be in the infusion area at all times when chemotherapy is infusing.  

    D. If chemotherapy is administered in a non-healthcare setting, a second identifier such as a driver’s license, is used to verify the patient’s identity.  

    April 19, 2018
    Survivorship Care Planning
    Survivorship care plans

    How One Institution Implemented Survivorship Care Plans in the Age of the Electronic Medical Record

    More than a decade ago, the National Academy of Medicine first proposed that “all patients should be given a comprehensive summary and a clear explanation of the details of their cancer therapy as well as recommendations for necessary follow-up.” This seemingly simple task has proved difficult to deliver in many cancer care settings.

    October 05, 2017
    cancer prevention education through community based programs
    Cancer prevention

    Cancer Prevention Through Community-Based Programs

    Preventing a cancer diagnosis is the most surefire way to survive it. However, the public and news media communicate more about emerging treatments and newly approved oncology drugs and less about ways people can take steps to prevent cancer before it starts. Oncology nurses have a role and obligation to spread public health education and an attention to disease prevention, so many Americans change risky habits that would otherwise lead to future cancer diagnoses.

    October 03, 2017
    Should a Provider Be on Site During Chemotherapy Administration?
    Safety

    Should a Provider Be on Site During Chemotherapy Administration?

    In clinics and oncology floors across the country, IV pumps are infusing, chemotherapy is administered through IV push, and nurses are moving swiftly from one patient to the next. Administering chemotherapy is a complex, in-depth procedure that requires training, education, and a level of experience beyond that of the standard healthcare professional. However, even the best oncology nurses need the support of their team members and the administration to provide the safest possible care environments for their patients.

    September 28, 2017
    access device standards
    Standards

    Evidence-Based Standards Guide the Use and Maintenance of Venous Implanted Ports

    Implanted ports are an important lifeline for patients receiving antineoplastic treatments; however, despite vast nursing research on the maintenance and utilization of venous implanted ports, still so much remains to be learned. Many of the practices surrounding implanted ports remain controversial.

    August 22, 2017
    oncology patient safety in treatments
    Standards

    Using Standards Balances Technology Advancements With Critical Thinking

    Advancements in medical records technology provide safeguards and contribute to overall patient safety. However, consider the following treatment scenarios and how they may present opportunities for error and jeopardize patient safety.

    July 25, 2017
    ONS Congress

    Improve Patient Safety by Defining and Refining Nurse Competencies

    Carole Elledge, DNP, RN, AOCN®, clinical program specialist at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, TX, described the concept of nursing competencies with a kitchen metaphor: “It’s kind of like baking a cake. If you’re going to bake a cake, you need all the ingredients.” For nurses, she said, the ingredients of competency include not only hands-on clinical skills, but also an ability to see past the disease, compassion, critical thinking, self-motivation, patience and insight, leadership, a team approach, and more. “There’s much more to competency than just skills.”

    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
    Telehealth
    Clinical practice guidelines

    Joint Commission Offers Telehealth Revisions to Hospital, Ambulatory Accreditation Standards

    As healthcare institutions are looking to adopt new technologies to better assist patients, telehealth is becoming a prominent resource for many practitioners. By providing the ability to call or video conference with healthcare providers, institutions can offer patients the care they need from the comfort of their own homes.

    May 19, 2017
    Standards of Care
    Standards

    How Do I Move Standards of Care Into Practice?

    April 26, 2017
    Nurses talking
    Clinical practice

    AJCC Cancer Staging System Will See Changes in 2018

    Beginning in January 2018, oncology nurses will see changes to the way their patients’ cancers are staged with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) system. According to a presentation at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network annual conference in March 2017, when the AJCC 8th Edition Cancer Staging System takes effect on January 1, 2018, more cases may be classified as stage I, especially for patients with breast cancer.

    April 12, 2017
    Heather Mackey
    Standards

    What Is ONS’s Process for Creating Oncology Nursing Competencies?

    The ONS Oncology Nurse Generalist competencies define the fundamental knowledge, skills, and abilities that nurses new to oncology practice should develop or acquire within the first one to two years of oncology practice. The target audience includes both beginning nurses new to practice as well as seasoned nurses who enter the oncology specialty after working in another area.

    April 04, 2017
    Nursing Competencies
    Safety

    Competencies Create Expert, Accountable Nurses Delivering Quality Care

    When the National Academy of Medicine, formerly the Institute of Medicine, released its 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, it cited a need for improvement in nursing education and practice through the implementation of nursing competencies.

    April 03, 2017
    Access Device book cover
    Safety

    New Access Device Standards Will Help Improve Safety in Your Practice

    Access devices have been used for decades to administer the complex treatments and supportive care that oncology nurses deliver daily to patients with cancer. As these devices and other products evolve, nurses need evidence-based methodologies for critiquing their safety and effectiveness.

    January 28, 2017
    Chemotherapy Competence
    Clinical practice

    What Is Chemotherapy Competence Versus Chemotherapy Certification?

    The ONS clinical inbox frequently receives questions about whether nurses need to be “chemotherapy certified” to give specific chemotherapy and/or biotherapy agents.

    January 28, 2017
    Chemotherapy

    How Did ONS Collaborate to Shape the ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Safety Standards?

    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.
    January 03, 2017
    Breast cancer

    ACOS Updates Standards for Breast Cancer Program Accreditation

    Throughout 2016, the American College of Surgeons’ (ACOS) National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) has been meeting to work on updated standards for their accreditation requirements. The updated standards serve to clarify any uncertainty for staff of centers either currently accredited or those seeking accreditation. The new provisions provide education resources, define leadership titles, and clarify survivorship care plan compliance.
    July 25, 2016

    FDA Announces Federal Regulations of E-Cigarettes

    In a move that’s been building for nearly two years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on May 5, 2016, that it will now federally regulate e-cigarettes in much the same way that it regulates the tobacco industry.
    June 01, 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
    NIH national pain strategy reports
    Pain management

    NIH National Pain Strategy Reports Recommendations

    Pain management is becoming a national priority in healthcare. In 2010, the National Institute of Health worked with the Health and Medicine Division on a study “to increase the recognition of pain as a significant public health problem in the United States.”
    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
    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
    Advanced Practice Nursing (APRN)

    Inconsistent Cumulative Cancer Drug Dose Monitoring Raises Safety Concerns for Oncology Nurses

    A significant number of oncology nurses acquiesce verifying cumulative cancer drug dose, according to data obtained from participants in the ONS/ONCC Chemotherapy Biotherapy Certificate Course. The participants reported having great faith in physicians’ and pharmacists’ knowledge and capabilities. However, this raises a concern about who can be held responsible in the case of drug overdoses.
    June 10, 2014
    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
    ONS News

    ONS and ASCO Release Revised Chemotherapy Safety Standards

    In 2011, a work­group con­sist­ing of Amer­i­can Soci­ety of Clin­i­cal Oncol­ogy (ASCO) and ONS mem­bers was con­vened to review feed­back received since pub­li­ca­tion of the ASCO/​​ONS Stan­dards for Safe Chemother­apy Admin­is­tra­tion in 2009 and to clar­ify the stan­dards as needed. The most sig­nif­i­cant change is the deci­sion to extend their scope to the inpa­tient set­ting. This
    February 27, 2012
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