Cancer survival rates have improved dramatically over the past few years, but survivors continue to have many care needs. Cancer survivors continue to experience delayed effects of cancer and its treatment, including psychosocial effects and reduced quality of life, and may have other medical conditions as well.
MASCC members Raymond Chan and Tai-Rae Downer, in a recent editorial in Cancer Nursing,* point out that many long-term needs of cancer survivors remain unmet. These often require coordinated efforts of healthcare professionals, including oncologists, cancer nurses, and primary care providers (PCPs). Besides resource limitations, barriers to efficient and effective coordination include poor communication between all parties, PCPs’ lack of knowledge of treatments and complications, and specialists’ uncertainties about the role of PCPs in follow-up care.
Cancer nurses, who serve as a primary liaison between patients and other healthcare specialists, play a key role in educating patients, identifying problems, coordinating care, and promoting best practices. They are thus well placed to help overcome such barriers. As Chan and Downer observe, “All of these barriers could likely be overcome if a specialist cancer nurse can facilitate effective and timely care coordination and communication by acting as the conduit between the specialist cancer multidisciplinary team and the PCPs at key transition time points (such as completion of adjuvant and definitive primary treatment).”
Chan and Downer note that a key element in facilitating well-integrated survivorship care is the implementation of survivorship care plans that includes communication between cancer specialists and PCPs to clarify roles and expectations. And specialist cancer nurses can help coordinate this process. The authors cite three recent survey studies documenting cancer nurses’ agreement that coordination of care, including the facilitation of integrated care with PCPs, falls within their sphere of responsibility. However, the nurses surveyed also acknowledged that optimal levels of coordination and communication are uncommon due to lack of time, lack of dedicated end-of-treatment consultation with patients, and many cancer centers’ failure to prioritize long-term care. Chan and Downer maintain that dedicated cancer nursing roles are needed to facilitate effective communication and coordination between the acute care and primary care settings. They advocate research to define and evaluate the role of cancer nurses in facilitating collaborative care planning to inform both practice and policy development. Chan and Downer also urge the cancer nursing community to take the lead in implementing integrated cancer survivorship care.
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*Chan RJ and Downer T-R. Cancer Nurses Can Bridge the Gap Between the Specialist Cancer Care and Primary Care Settings to Facilitate Shared-Care Models. Cancer Nursing 2018:41(2):89-90.
Raymond Javan Chan, PhD, MAppSc (Research), BN, RN, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Herston and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Ray chairs the MASCC Study Group on Rehabilitation, Survivorship, and Quality of Life. He is also is a member Study Groups on Fatigue and Palliative Care.
Tai-Rae Downer, MHSc, BBMS, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation,Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Tai-Rae is a member of MASCC’s Geriatrics Study Group.
Recognizing Cancer Nurses
Oncology Nursing Day (Canada) — April 3, 2018
In Canada, the 15th Annual Oncology Nursing Day will be celebrated on April 3, 2018, and this year’s theme is “Excellence in Oncology: Our Patients, Our Passion.” This theme is intended to highlight excellence in oncology nursing across Canada while maintaining the focus on patients and to recognize the need to empower oncology nurses with education and leadership skills that, in turn, will improve patients’ outcomes and experiences. For more information: Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology
#OND2018
European Cancer Nursing Day — May 18, 2018
The European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) has designated Friday May 18 as European Cancer Nursing Day. Thousands of cancer nurses will mark this day and their work will be recognized and celebreated in cancer centers throughout Europe. The day is intended to focus attention on the contributions of cancer nurses and to focus on the importance of education and training. For more information: European Cancer Nursing Day – #ECND
May is Oncology Nursing Month in the US
In the US, May is Oncology Nursing Month, a time to recognize the outstanding contributions of oncology nurses. This year’s official theme is “The Art of Caring. The Science of Care.”
