Thanks to the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), cancer treatments and cures once out of reach are now closer than ever. So is our understanding about the human condition. As part of its latest strategic vision for the future of human genomics, NHGRI announced an action agenda to substantially enhance the industry’s workforce diversity by 2030. 

On April 16, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported Care Fusion 303, Inc.’s, recall of the BD Alaris Pump Module 8100 because the device may experience stuck or unresponsive keys during operation. FDA identified it as a class I recall, the most serious type of recall, where use of the devices may cause serious injuries or death.

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent naproxen triggers immune cells in the intestinal lining to fight colorectal cancer in people with Lynch syndrome, researchers reported in Gut.

More than 800 million COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered worldwide. However, 54% of those have been in high-income countries, which contain only 19% of the world’s population, whereas lower-middle income countries have only 33% of the vaccines for their 81% of the population. Those disparities have serious implications and limit equal access to health care, including vaccinations. The World Health Organization (WHO) is campaigning to address vaccine inequity on a global scale. 

Oncology advanced practice RN (APRNs) are in an ideal position to put their leadership, clinical practice, critical thinking, and organization management expertise to use in new ways to advance and add value to cancer care. During her April 20, 2021, session at the 46th Annual ONS Congress™, Rosanne Casal, DNP, APN-BC, AOCNP^®, from University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH, shared three examples: benign hematology, ambulatory acute care, and bone marrow biopsy. 

As use of digital health or telehealth has grown, healthcare providers have had to address challenges and get buy-in on multiple levels. Will patients feel comfortable and heard during a phone call or video chat? Will staff still be able to provide optimal care? Advanced practice RNs can apply their skills and experience to create a supportive telehealth environment for patients and families as well as for professional staff.

Family members—not health professionals—are the primary providers of patient-focused care in the United States, according to Deborah Boyle, MSN, RN, AOCNS^®, FAAN, from Advanced Oncology Nursing Resources in Phoenix, AZ. “There is an unrealistic expectation that families can enact their caregiving role with no training and ongoing support,” she said during her session presentation for the 46th Annual ONS Congress™ on April 20, 2021.

Between 10%–20% of health outcomes are a direct result of clinical care, whereas 40% are attributed to social and economic factors such as education, employment, income, family and social support, and community safety, speakers said during a session for the 46th Annual ONS Congress™ on April 20, 2021. The remaining 40%–50% correlate with health behaviors, physical environment, and genes and biology, they said.

Combining the research and education components of a PhD program with the clinical practice components of a doctor of nurse practice (DNP) program completes the evidence-to-practice spectrum. It improves evidence-based care and provides outcomes to fuel future research and education. On April 20, 2021, speakers at the 46th Annual ONS Congress™ explained how their institutions created collaborative models that are now a standard component of DNP and PhD programs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Tobacco Products has aggressively fought to obtain tighter tobacco product regulations to protect adolescent lungs. One of those ways is through premarket review, where e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products that were available as of August 8, 2016, were required to submitted applications to FDA for approval by Sept. 9, 2020.