How the New Oral Antineoplastics Affect Nursing Practice: Capecitabine serves to illustrate

Challenges of Caregivers of Cancer Patients who are on Oral Oncolytic Therapy

OBJECTIVE

To describe the major challenges faced by caregivers of patients receiving oral oncolytic therapy (OOT).

DATA SOURCES

Published literature, national clinical practice guidelines, standards of care.

CONCLUSION

Caregivers of patients receiving OOT have unmet needs. Caregivers need standardized OOT education and coping support to improve patient outcomes through enhanced drug safety practices, better management of complex treatment regimens and adherence, patient symptoms, treatment side effects, care decision-making, and financial assistance for costly OOT.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nurses are well-positioned to take leadership roles in facilitating optimal utilization of multidisciplinary health care resources necessary to support caregivers and improve outcomes in patients receiving OOT.

Current practice patterns for oral chemotherapy: results of a national survey

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To describe current nursing practices in the United States regarding care and safety of patients taking oral chemotherapy.

DESIGN

This three-phase study consisted of development, validation, and implementation of a national online survey.

SETTING

Survey of oncology nurses in outpatient settings.

SAMPLE

577 oncology nurses.

METHODS

Surveys were emailed to 5,000 members of the Oncology Nursing Society. The survey included 17 forced-choice items and one free-text item. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were obtained.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Patient care practices, nursing resources, and barriers to medication adherence.

FINDINGS

Fifty-one percent of the respondents worked in practices that had developed specific policies, procedures, and resources for patients on oral chemotherapy. Barriers to treatment adherence included cost (81%) and adverse effects (72%). Practices with specific policies differed in clinical and statistical significance from practices without policies on almost every survey item. Free-text responses revealed that many practices have erratic procedures and inadequate interdisciplinary communication.

CONCLUSIONS

Systematic reliable policies and procedures for patient education, documentation, and interdisciplinary communication are urgently needed.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Nurses should provide education and repeated teaching to improve patient safety, adherence to the medication, and self-monitoring for adverse effects.

Síndrome mão-pé induzida por quimioterapia: relato de um caso

Objetivou-se relatar um caso de uma paciente que apresentou síndrome mão-pé de grau 3, decorrente do uso do quimioterápico Capecitabina e para a qual foi utilizada massagem local com creme hidratante aquoso à base de aloe vera. A capacidade funcional da paciente foi avaliada utilizando-se a Escala de Performance ECOG e as lesões fotografadas durante as consultas de enfermagem que ocorreram em intervalos de dez dias, totalizando quarenta dias de acompanhamento. Observou-se melhora significativa da integridade tissular, com regressão total dos sintomas, importante ganho em qualidade de vida, e retorno imediato ao tratamento quimioterápico. Acredita-se que o aloe vera pode ser um importante coadjuvante na assistência de enfermagem a pacientes submetidos à quimioterapia antineoplásica.