Implementing a Nurse-Driven Pregnancy Screening Protocol in the Radiation Oncology Setting

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Obstetrics & Gynecology

Background:

• Pregnancy verification is essential before radiation therapy to ensure patient and fetal safety.
• Current institutional guidelines for pregnancy screening before cancer treatment are often inadequate.
• This gap poses risks to both pregnant patients and their fetuses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of pregnancy status verification before initiating radiation oncology treatments.
• To identify the lack of standardized institutional guidelines for pregnancy screening in cancer patients.
• To advocate for the development and implementation of clear protocols.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on current practices and guidelines for pregnancy screening in radiation oncology.
• Analysis of institutional protocols (or lack thereof) for patient management.
• Identification of potential risks associated with inadequate screening.

Main Results:

• Pregnancy screening is a critical but often overlooked step in radiation oncology.
• A significant number of institutions do not have established protocols for pregnancy verification.
• This deficiency can lead to inadvertent radiation exposure for undiagnosed pregnancies.

Conclusions:

• Standardized, clear guidelines for pregnancy screening are urgently needed in radiation oncology.
• Implementing robust screening protocols is vital for protecting vulnerable patient populations.
• Addressing this gap will improve safety and ethical care standards in cancer treatment.