Oncology-critical care nursing collaboration: recommendations for optimizing continuity of care of critically ill patients with cancer

Outreach RN: A Nurse-Led Initiative to Improve Transitions in Care for Critically Ill Patients With Cancer

A proactive nursing resource that provides early detection of clinical deterioration and assistance with timely transfers is vital in the effort to improve patient safety. The outreach RN (ORN) role is a nurse-led initiative that was implemented to facilitate safe patient transfers to either the telemetry unit or stepdown unit. This article describes the development of the ORN role as an additional clinical resource to promote interprofessional care, provide expert nursing assistance to unit staff, and enhance patient safety.

Collaboration between hospital and primary care nurses: a literature review

BACKGROUND

Nurses play an important role in the treatment and care of adults in both hospital and primary health care working within complex and fragmented organizational systems. As the nature of health care changes and hospital and primary care sectors become more closely associated, nurses in both sectors have an obligation to increase their collaboration.

AIMS

This study aimed to increase the understanding of collaboration between nurses working with adults in hospital and primary health care, and to facilitate the future measurement of this collaboration.

METHODS

A literature review was undertaken in July and August 2013 using CINAHL and MEDLINE databases from the earliest to August 2013. The searches produced 4951 citations that were reduced to 22 articles for review using a four-step inclusion strategy. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

It is suggested that collaboration is a process that contains (1) collaboration precursors: the opportunity to participate, knowledge and shared objectives; (2) elements of collaboration: competency, awareness and understanding of work roles and interaction; and (3) processes and outcomes: the events or behaviours that are the consequences of the collaboration between hospital and primary healthcare nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that collaboration between hospital and primary healthcare nurses is an important and integral part of the work of nurses and a process consisting of several predictable issues leading to useful care outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

Current healthcare changes make it a requirement for hospital and primary healthcare nurses to collaborate when working with adults to continue to meet the needs of patients. The findings of this study can be used to improve collaboration in practice and to devise research to improve collaboration between hospital and primary healthcare nurses.

Administering chemotherapy in nononcology settings: a case study

Providing chemotherapy for patients in a variety of settings may be a challenge for oncology nurses. Increased acuity and comorbidities of patients needing chemotherapy have resulted in a greater incidence of administration in nononcology settings, such as intensive care units (ICUs). In addition, patients with conditions other than cancer are receiving chemotherapy. Because of a lack of certified and experienced chemotherapy nurses in the ICU, oncology nurses may be pulled from their unit to administer chemotherapy. Another possibility is that nonchemotherapy-certified nurses may be asked to administer chemotherapy. Caring for patients receiving chemotherapy may be stressful for nononcology nurses because of their lack of knowledge regarding chemotherapy precautions and the management of side effects and toxicities. Not only is coordination and cooperation between nursing personnel vital, certified oncology nurses must be able to assess the situation, provide the necessary information and education, and safely administer the chemotherapy. This article describes a case study and provides suggestions for planning in similar situations.