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

May 10, 2023 by Elisa Becze BA, ELS, Editor

Listening to educational podcasts improves oncology nurse learners’ knowledge of managing treatment-related adverse events by 11%–27% and safety by 24%, researchers reported during a podium presentation (https://doi.org/10.1188/23.ONF.E1) at the 48th Annual ONS Congress® in April 2023.

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:

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 (https://www.ons.org/learning-libraries/oncology-nursing-podcast) offers free NCPD contact hours for nearly every episode in the past two years. View our complete collection (https://www.ons.org/learning-libraries/oncology-nursing-podcast), including our Oncologic Emergencies series (https://www.ons.org/acq-search?search=oncologic%20emergencies&source=Podcasts) and many others about managing adverse events (https://www.ons.org/acq-search?search=adverse%20events&source=Podcasts).


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