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A National Survey of Nurses' Knowledge and Nursing Practices Regarding Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction
Hideaki Aoyagi1, Yasumi Matsubara2,3, Akiko Okada4
1Doctoral Degree Program, Graduate School of Nursing, Kitasato University, Kanagawa, Japan.
Aim:
Developing effective nursing support for cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) in patients with breast cancer requires understanding nurses' knowledge and nursing practices regarding CTRCD. This study elucidated these aspects among Certified Nurse Specialists (CNSs) and Certified Nurses (CNs) in Japan.
Methods:
A web-based survey was administered to 1490 nurses, including CNSs in cancer nursing and CNs in cancer chemotherapy, breast cancer, and heart failure. The survey assessed participants' characteristics, knowledge of CTRCD, nursing practices, consultation experiences, and interprofessional collaboration. We calculated descriptive statistics and conducted group comparisons between oncology nurses specializing in cancer nursing and cardiology nurses specializing in heart failure nursing.
Results:
We obtained 261 responses, including 214 (82.0%) from oncology nurses and 47 (18.0%) from cardiology nurses. These two groups exhibited significant differences in their knowledge of CTRCD definitions, risk factors, and related agents (p < 0.01). Among oncology nurses, 88 (56.8%) provided patient education on CTRCD risk and 94 (63.9%) monitored CTRCD symptoms; thus, practice implementation remained around half. A higher proportion of cardiology nurses reported having received questions or consultations regarding CTRCD from patients or staff (p < 0.05). Only 27 participants (10.3%) reported access to onco-cardiology educational opportunities at their respective institutions.
Conclusion:
Differences in knowledge and practices regarding CTRCD were identified between oncology and cardiology nurses. Improving nursing practices, particularly patient education and symptom observation, is essential for early CTRCD detection and treatment. Furthermore, systematic educational programs and structured collaborative frameworks, including interprofessional collaboration, are needed at both the institutional and national levels.