Chemotherapy education: current practices of oncology nurses counseling patients

Chemotherapy education provided by nurses to patients is a fundamental component of high-quality cancer care. The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI ®) provides guidance on treatment-related aspects of chemotherapy education (diagnosis, goals, regimen, schedule, adverse events, follow-up), but recommendations on practical lifestyle issues lack evidence and standardization.

An anonymous, voluntary, uncompensated survey was distributed in October 2019 to 12,995 oncology certified nurses who report working in adult outpatient clinic/infusion room settings. An electronic survey was designed to determine current practice in nurse-patient counseling related to lifestyle and behavior during chemotherapy treatment.

Survey responses were obtained from 1243 oncology certified nurses (9.6%). Nurses reported that their education practice was influenced by their institution and coworkers (other nurses or oncologists). Most nurses (> 50%) reported counseling on all topics asked. Most frequently counseled topics included water intake, infection monitoring, alcohol consumption, exercise, and mucositis. Less frequently counseled topics included hair dye, laundry practices, and mask wearing (pre-pandemic).

This study highlighted that chemotherapy nurses routinely counsel patients on important topics that lack evidence-based recommendations. In the absence of evidence, nurses rely on learned education practices, most commonly institutional guides or recommendations adopted from other nurses or oncologists. On important topics that lack evidence, expert panel review and development of consensus guidelines could standardize and improve the education process for both oncology nurses and patients.