NCPD Podcasts Increase Oncology Nurses’ Confidence and Competence in Managing Toxicities

To determine whether nursing continuing professional development (NCPD)–approved podcasts bridge gaps in oncology nurses’ knowledge and application of individualized treatment for patients with cancer, the researchers conducted a pre-/posttest study. They provided participants with NCPD-approved activities about the management of cancer therapy–related toxicities in multiple formats, including podcasts and streaming videos. Nurses who listened to the podcast completed a posttest of case-based questions that gauged their ability to apply emerging data to clinical decision making.

The researchers found that compared to watching the streaming video versions of the activities, listening to the podcasts led to additional learning gains, including:

• Management of dabrafenib/trametinib adverse events: 27% learning gain
• Lenvatinib/pembrolizumab safety: 24% learning gain
• Monitoring pembrolizumab-related adverse events: 14% learning gain
• Management of immune-related adverse events: 14% learning gain
• Recognition of immune-related adverse events associated with chemoimmunotherapy: 11% learning gain
• Management of fever associated with febrile neutropenia and IV site redness: 5% learning gain

In total, 90% of learners reported that they felt more confident in treating their patients after listening to the podcasts and 91% said that they would use their learning to improve patient outcomes.

“The improvements in competence seen on the case-based assessment questions, as well as gains in self-perceived competence and confidence in treating patients with cancer, show the educational benefits of a podcast format,” the researchers concluded.

ONS’s comprehensive podcast library offers free NCPD contact hours for nearly every episode in the past two years. View our complete collection, including our Oncologic Emergencies series and many others about managing adverse events.