title: Implementation of an evidence-based education practice change for patients with cancer.
abstract: As oncology care continues to move toward delivery in the outpatient setting, oncology nurses must find ways to effectively educate patients about diagnosis, treatment, and symptom management. A cancer diagnosis induces high levels of anxiety, often affecting a patient's ability to retain information about his or her disease, treatment, and symptom management. Based on results from the ONS Foundation-supported Breast Cancer Care Quality Measures Set and Breast Cancer Survivorship Quality Measures Set, a community-based, multisite cancer center located in the midwestern United States embarked on a quality project in patient education. The purpose of this article is to describe a quality project that evolved from a review of the patient education process for patients with cancer in three medical oncology clinics to a pilot of a new model for patient education. The pilot identified gaps, developed and implemented evidence-based improvement strategies, and planned for evaluation of process and patient outcomes of this practice change. A pilot study to assess processes and workflows associated with a one-hour separate patient education visit was designed and initiated. Patients and oncology nurses have expressed satisfaction with standardized patient education. Although processes and workflows continue to be evaluated, a proposal was developed, submitted, and accepted by the institutional review board to evaluate patient-centered outcomes.
authors.affiliation: ProHealth Care, Waukesha, WI.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Portz
authors.affiliation: ProHealth Care, Waukesha, WI.
authors.forename: Mary Pat
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care
keywords: chemotherapy/biotherapy; patient education; symptom management