May 23, 2023
May is Oncology Nursing Month – it's important to acknowledge the vital role oncology nurses play in the HCP community when it comes to patient treatment, advocacy, and care.
Oncology nurses facilitate communication between physicians, patients, and caregivers. They help guide patients through their treatments, often providing comfort, information, and guidance.
Nurses tend to be present across all indications of a patient’s treatment plan, which requires appropriate training and knowledge exchange in medical education.
For Oncology Nursing Month, we reached out to oncology nurse, Erik Aerts, to hear his opinion on medical education on the topic of oncology nursing:
In your experience does medical education cover specific therapy areas in oncology?
“In my opinion, there are still gaps regarding the education for nurses and other HCPs. As therapies for oncology/hematology patients are more personalized and specific, education is not well covered in this area.”
Do you feel like the patient voice is incorporated in medical education?
“The voice of the patient is still underestimated; patients as well as their loved ones should be more involved in medical education.”
What would you like to see more of in medical education that is directed at nurses?
“Education for nurses could be increased regarding disease and symptom management, treatment and side effect management, and medication training. The role of nurses in medication management includes a variety of responsibilities, not only administration but also managing therapeutic and adverse effects, adherence, self-management, education, safety, and care transition.”
Relevant literature: Liptrott S, NíChonghaile M, Aerts E, Heamatology Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Group (HNHCP). Investigating the self-perceived educational priorities of haematology nurses. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2019;41:72-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejon.2019.05.010.
Did you know SES’s IME is curated for all HCPs in their respective fields?
“I wasn’t aware of SES and that it was targeted to all HCPs. It would be good to collaborate with other organizations, such as the Hematology Nurses & Healthcare Professionals Group (HNHCP; www.hemcare.org).”
Among our wide reach of HCPs, including hematologists, oncologists, researchers, and more, 10% of our global audience are nurses.
Nurses play increasingly important roles in cancer care, from pre- and post-treatment management. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that specialized oncology training for nurses resulted in better outcomes for patients with cancer, including lower hospital readmission rates, fewer treatment-related side effects, and improved quality of life.1
Through our hubs, we provide microlearning modules geared towards physicians and nurses to improve patient outcomes, and our education is curated by world-renowned experts and guided by patient needs.
We specialize in several therapeutic areas in the blood cancer arena, and our HCP education is tailored to address specific clinical practices, ranging from the latest treatments and clinical trials to drug updates, expert opinions, and more.
Our patient programs KnowAML and KnowALL, are directed at patients, caregivers, and nurses to address concerns and advocate for patient best-practices, including disease and symptom management, access to the latest treatments, side effect management, and expert support.
Thanks to our IME hubs and patient programs, we are uniquely positioned to incorporate the patient voice in our HCP education, this means that what is important to patients is important to us. Patients often form close bonds with nurses, lasting years post treatment. When considering medical education guided by patients, at SES we do the utmost to be easily accessible to a wide range of HCPs globally, including nurses.
Follow SES for the latest up-to-date IME delivered to all HCPs globally.
Contact us to find out more about supporting opportunities:
partnerships@scientificeducationsupport.com
Nathalie Holguin
Scientific Education Support
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