Knowledge of haematological toxicities amongst European nurses--a learning needs assessment

Haematological toxicities such as neutropenia, anaemia and thrombocytopenia have a significant impact on patients with cancer. They can have a life-threatening effect on the health of the patient and, importantly, may lead to the interruption and/or dose reduction of ongoing cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy. Nurses play a pivotal role in haematological toxicity prevention, detection and management, however, the current level of involvement and understanding varies widely across Europe. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is an important tool in maximising nurses' contributions to such healthcare issues, enabling them to maintain awareness of recent research, refreshing their knowledge, and facilitating consistency of best practice. As such, the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) is developing a Europe-wide training programme in haematological toxicities. This is based on the unmet CPE needs identified through a Learning Needs Assessment (LNA) carried out amongst European cancer nurses in 2003. This article discusses the results of the LNA and how the key issues that it has revealed are being addressed in EONS' nurse education programme, 'Training Initiative in Thrombocytopenia, Anaemia and Neutropenia (TITAN)'.