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Nurses Increasingly Concerned about Fungal Infections

TON - Daily
Oncology nurses are increasingly concerned about invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in their patients, particularly those who receive stem cell transplants or high-dose chemotherapy, a survey by ONSEdge reveals.
Among the key findings of the survey are:
  1. Oncology nurses understand the risk of IFIs in certain oncology categories: Seventy percent of respondents indicated that patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who were neutropenic were at high to very high risk for IFIs. In addition, 79% indicated that patients with acute myelogenous leukemia who were neutropenic were at high to very high risk. Finally, 66% believed that stem cell transplant recipients and patients who developed graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) were at high to very high risk.
  2. Oncology nurses understand the importance of prophylaxis: Seventy-seven percent agreed with the statement, “I am convinced that antifungal prophylaxis is the best approach to managing the risk of developing invasive fungal infection.”
  3. Oncology nurses are increasingly concerned about IFIs: Sixty-eight percent agreed with the statement, “I am increasingly concerned about invasive fungal infections as a complication in my high-risk patients.”
An ONSEdge white paper titled Knowledge Report: Invasive Fungal Infections details the likely cause of the increase in IFIs, patients who are at most risk, and what can be done to prevent infection. According to the paper, nurses must be prepared by:
  • Understanding how to identify high-risk patients
  • Recognizing the sources of IFIs and the vectors by which they are transmitted
  • Maintaining a high level of suspicion that any symptoms experienced by patients could be caused by IFIs
  • Knowing and applying the established clinical practice guidelines for prevention and treatment
The sharp rise in IFIs over the past two decades is due in large part to the immunosuppression experienced by the increased number of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Because such patients are highly susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, oncology nurses are concerned about the significant number of opportunistic infections due to fungi, especially Aspergillus.
The patient populations at greatest risk include:
  • Individuals with profound, prolonged neutropenia
  • Individuals with acute leukemia or MDS
  • Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients
  • Individuals with GVHD
  • Autologous HSCT recipients with mucositis
The survey was funded by Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station New Jersey.
The full report is available at www.onsedge.com/pdf/IFIKnowledgeReport.pdf.

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