Healthcare professionals involved in direct patient care, such as nurses, pharmacists, advanced practice providers, and physicians, learn methods of symptom assessment during education and training, but each profession uses a slightly different lens. The ability to consider polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions in patient assessment is one of the most important skills a clinical pharmacist uses in daily practice.
Symptom assessment gives oncology nurses a consistent matrix to directly evaluate the significance that symptoms have on patients’ distress, quality of life, and survival. Both symptoms and their impact can evolve throughout a patient’s cancer course, making high-quality and detail-oriented assessments an essential tool for successful treatment and management.
When you reflect on your career as an oncology nurse, do you see it as a journey? I do, and it is one marked by mentors, teachers, colleagues, and ONS.
On June 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported Bryant Ranch Prepack Inc.’s voluntarily recall of one lot of morphine sulfate 30 mg extended-release tablets and one lot of morphine sulfate 60 mg extended-release tablets because the products are incorrectly labeled. Bottles labeled as 60 mg tablets may contain 30 mg tablets and bottles labeled as 30 mg may have 60 mg tablets.
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi®) for adult patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) whose disease is refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy, have relapsed within a year of first-line chemoimmunotherapy, or are not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after relapse. It is not for patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.
With the relaunch of the Biden-Harris administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, the fight against cancer is back in the government spotlight. To support the Moonshot’s goals, in May 2022 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allocated $5 million to the Health Resources and Services Administration-funded community health centers.
Patients with cancer and other healthcare consumers would receive reinforcements in the fight against financial toxicity with new legislation that would “empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to increase drug pricing transparency and hold pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) accountable for unfair and deceptive practices that drive up the costs of prescription drugs.” U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the proposed bill in May.
Positive phrases or statements that challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts can motivate you, encourage positive lifestyle changes, and boost your self-esteem. Repeat self-affirmation mantras regularly to fully reap the benefits of this practice and make long-term changes to the way you think and feel.
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson, reversing the decision from the 1973 case, Roe v. Wade. Many nursing, medical, and health organizations issued statements in reaction, and opinions among ONS stakeholders and constituents will differ on the decision. As it leads an organization that represents oncology nurses and advocates for patient-centered care, the ONS Board of Directors reviews social and political issues through the lens of the Society’s mission.
Healthcare organizations advocated to improve diversity among clinical trials in a letter sent to U.S. Congress in May encouraging the government to take steps as the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) approaches. The PDUFA allows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to review and approve drugs, but the authorization is set to expire in September of 2022.