Dana-Farber Cancer Institute nurse scientists and clinicians are presenting key studies and projects at the 47th Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress. This first in-person Congress since 2019 will be taking place April 27-May 1, 2022, in Anaheim, CA.
The ONS Congress is the largest, most comprehensive oncology nursing conference in the country and the featured nurse-led presentations highlight the intersection of clinical knowledge, research, direct patient care and advocacy resulting in innovation.
"After two years being remote, it is wonderful to have such wide in-person participation at this year's Congress from our Dana-Farber nurses," said Anne Gross, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Dana-Farber. "As always, our nurses are making a national impact by disseminating their work in podium, panel and poster sessions throughout the 4-day conference."
During the Congress, Gross will join a national panel of Chief Nursing Officers, sharing experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel titled, "Covid-19: The Impact on Cancer Care," describes the changes to and challenges in cancer care during the unfolding pandemic as well as provides a discussion on lessons learned and innovations that will be sustained post-pandemic.
Other notable presentations by Dana-Farber nurses and researchers include:
Study Finds Symptom Burden is Associated with Anxiety Profile in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy for Gynecologic Cancer
In a study of patients with gynecologic cancer, 45% were found to have significant anxiety, a condition linked to depression, sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment, fatigue, and pain. The finding underscores the importance of evaluating patients for anxiety and providing treatments that target the underlying cause of their symptoms, researchers say. Anxiety levels of the study's 230 participants were assessed by questionnaires six times during two cycles of chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer. Researchers led by Dana-Farber's Rachel Pozzar, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, identified three distinct anxiety profiles among the group: Low (accounting for 55.2% of participants); Moderate (38.3%), and Very High (6.5%). Analysis of responses to the questionnaire showed that compared to the Low group, the Very High group was significantly younger, was more likely to report child care responsibilities, and had lower annual household income. As expected, the number and severity of anxiety-related symptoms such as sleep problems and depression increased from the Low to the Moderate to the Very High group.
Primary Author: Rachel Pozzar, PhD, RN, FNP-BC
Authors: Marilyn Hammer, PhD, DC, RN, FAAC; Steven Paul, PhD; Bruce Cooper, PhD; Kord Kober, PhD; Yvette Conley, PhD, FAAN; Christine Miaskowski, RN, PhD, FAAN
Session: Research Oral Abstracts
Teaching with Telehealth Deemed Effective by Patients and Nurses
Video telehealth visits can be an effective way for oncology nurses to teach and patients to learn about chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment for cancer, a survey conducted at a regional cancer center in Massachusetts shows. With telehealth use skyrocketing early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Dana-Farber's Elizabeth Llewellyn, BSN, RN, OCN, and her colleagues asked patients, nurses, and appointment schedulers at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at Milford Regional Medical Center about their views of the new technology. The survey found that 93.8% of patients and 73.8% of nurses preferred telehealth to telephone teaching sessions, and 91.4% of patients reported the technology was extremely easy to use. Patients' mean satisfaction score for a telehealth visit was 93.8 (on a scale of 0 to 100), while nurses' was 73.5. Schedulers reported that arranging telehealth visits required no additional time over traditional methods.
Title:Teaching with Telehealth
Primary Author: Elizabeth Llewellyn, BSN, RN, OCN
Authors: Katherine Magni, MSN, RN, OCN; Anna Kosiba, BA, MPH; Emma Dann, DNP, RN, OCN, NEA-BC; Janet Nixon, BA; Terri Jabaley, PhD, RN, OCN
Session: Quality Improvement Poster Session
"These key presentations as well as others featuring Dana-Farber's researchers and nurse-leaders emphasize the theme of this year's Congress: Many Voices. Common Mission," said Marilyn Hammer, PhD, DC, RN, FAAN, the Director of the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at Dana-Farber. Hammer also serves on the planning committee for the Congress."There is no better venue to reconnect. Dana-Farber's contributions show the impact of nurses and nurse-scientists in their field in clinical practice, advanced practice, leadership/management/education, radiation, quality improvement and research, all with an emphasis placed on diversity, inclusion, equity, and access."
