Evidence suggests that the nature of shift work places patient safety at risk, primarily due to nurse fatigue associated with sleep deprivation and disruption of circadian rhythm. The problem is significant enough that nurse fatigue has been nationally recognized as a threat to patient safety by the American Nurses Association.
In patients who have undergone endoscopic polypectomy, subsequent treatment with low-dose metaformin, a diabetes drug, may reduce the risk of metachronous colorectal adenomas and polyps, according to a new study reported in Lancet Oncology.
As I start this amazing adventure as your new ONS president, I can’t help but pause and reflect on how I got here. Those of you who know me say that I am an organized, motivated, dedicated oncology nurse who is proud to be involved in ONS. What I’ve never had was a specific five-year plan. Instead, I’ve had role models: individuals who inspired me, recognized my potential, and often channeled my energy in the right direction.
Prehabilitation should be driven by outcomes that start with baseline assessments that are repeated in an effort to determine how well the interventions worked.
Prehabilitation is a process along the cancer care continuum that occurs after diagnosis but before treatment begins. In a sense, it’s preparing patients for their battle ahead by introducing psychological and physical interventions “that establish a baseline functional level, identify impairments, and provide targeted interventions that improve a patient’s health to reduce the incidence and the severity of current and future impairments," according to Silver and Baima.
Women account for nearly a quarter of million cancer deaths every single year. Early this year, the American Cancer Society (ACS) reported nearly 250,000 breast cancer diagnoses in women. Despite these staggering numbers of diagnoses and deaths, women account for more than 6.3 out of the 11.7 million Americans living with cancer.
ONS looks to nurse educators and thanks them for the great service they provide members and nurses around the world. ONS facilitators teach courses that provide incredible learning opportunities to oncology nurses looking to raise the level of care they provide to patients with cancer.
The majority of patient with cancer will face acute or chronic pain during their oncology journey. According to a recent study, approximately 53% of all patients receiving treatment experience pain. Moreover, 59% to 64% of patients with advanced cancer report pain. Nearly one-third of all patients report experiencing pain post-curative treatment.
Marie Bakitas, DNSc, CRNP, AOCN®, FAAN, was honored with this year’s ONS Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award. She detailed her career and the evolution of palliative care for patients with cancer in a moving presentation that earned a standing ovation during a session at the 41st Annual Congress in San Antonio, TX.
The latest research has shown that epigenetic pathways may provide new therapeutic options for patients with cancer. Researchers know that changes in epigenetic control of gene expression in cancer cells, and surrounding cells in the tumor microenvironment, play a fundamental role in driving tumor development, as well as response to chemotherapy and immune treatment.
