A hematology unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, succeeded in greatly reducing chemotherapy wait time and increasing satisfaction among inpatients, as described by Elena Lubimov, RN, BSN, OCN, at the Oncology Nursing Society 41st Annual Congress.
An electronic locator system worn by nurses proved helpful in measuring purposeful hourly rounding in an inpatient oncology unit. It also helped reduce falls and call bells.
Aggressive end-of-life care for patients with terminal cancer and other illnesses is costly and not recommended.
Oncology nurses at The Ohio State University, Columbus, have been altering their chemotherapy infusions scheduling and achieving higher volume, along with increased patient and nurse satisfaction. At the Oncology Nursing Society 41st Annual Congress, 2 of these projects were described at poster sessions, the Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center and the Wexner Medical Center.
In 1979, Falck and colleagues described the presence of chemotherapy in the urine of nurses caring for patients who had received chemotherapy.1 The discovery that merely handling chemotherapy drugs can lead to absorption of the chemotherapy drugs has been key in the re-evaluation of safety in healthcare environments. In 2004, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) alert noted that skin rashes, infertility, miscarriage, birth defects, and leukemia or other cancers may be associated with working with or near hazardous drugs.2
To sign up for our newsletter or print publications, please enter your contact information below.
