Quantifying the Effect of a Specialist Nurse-Led Support Program in Neurooncology Patients

Patients with brain tumors are confronted with multiple challenges. In addition to the established therapeutic management, there is a need for the integration of supportive care in those patients. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of a nurse-led support program.

We retrospectively analyzed the results of a questionnaire-based assessment of patient satisfaction conducted before (2017) and after (2018-2021) the implementation of a specialist nurse-led support program. The validated and anonymous questionnaire was administered to all eligible neurooncology patients admitted to our department during defined 6-week recruitment periods each year.

A total of 62 patients participated in the study. Before implantation of the specialist nurse-led support program, the majority of patients were already satisfied with the items related to general satisfaction, consideration of personal wishes, consideration of worries and fears, and nursing care in general, while less patients were satisfied with the remaining items. After implantation of the program, the proportion of patients who were satisfied with the first four items was constant (general satisfaction: 86% versus 93%, P = 0.86; consideration of personal wishes: 86% versus 88%, P > 0.99; consideration of worries and fears: 95% versus 92%, P > 0.99; nursing care in general: 91% versus 98%, P = 0.27), but a significant improvement was found for information, counseling and guidance (38% versus 97%, P = 0.003), and discharge planning (64% versus 97%, P = 0.005).

The nurse-led support program led to significant improvement in patient care and helped patients to cope with the multidimensional challenges.