Psychological support of oncology nurses: a role for the liaison psychiatrist

This paper describes the working of an oncology nurses coping group which functioned under the guidance of a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at the Toronto General Hospital. Nurses were helped to deal more effectively with the many and varied stresses which they face in treating patients with cancer. As a result ward atmosphere, patient care and inter-staff communication improved. The success of the group was due to a number of factors that included the high motivation of the staff, the high level of stress on the ward, the support of the head nurse and the consistent relationship of the consulting psychiatrist. A series of cases are presented to illustrate these points.