Congress Abstracts 2003

72

A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED MODEL FOR INTEGRATING A COMMUNITY-BASED GENETIC PROGRAM WITH A COMMUNITY CLINICAL ONCOLOGY PROGRAM: A NURSING INITIATIVE FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND CANCER INTERVENTION. Twilla Westercamp, RN, BSN, OCN^®, Alegent Health Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; and Mary Beth Wilwerding, RN, BSN, OCN^®, Executive D, Missouri Valley Cancer Consortium, Omaha, NE.

The purpose of this initiative is to explore the patient care benefit of combining services of a community based genetic program with services of a CCOP.

The individual benefits of clinical trials and cancer genetics has been recognized extensively in the educational setting. The National Cancer Institute recognized, in the 1970s, the need for clinical trials to become available in the community setting and developed the CCOP program. The Missouri Valley Cancer Consortium CCOP was formed in 1993, in response to the NCI initiative. Cancer genetics is a growing intervention that is impacting not only cancer screening, early detection, and cancer prevention, but also cancer treatment, prognosis, and disease management. Alegent Health has opened a cancer genetic program to serve a portion of the same community population as the Missouri Valley Cancer Consortium CCOP.

Two oncology nurses will combine their efforts to involve individuals from the community in both clinical trials offered by he CCOP and the services of the cancer genetic program. These programs are uniquely nurse initiated and executed. It is anticipated that the model will allow genetic patients and family members to be referred easily to clinical trials and clinical trial patients, and family members to be referred to the genetic program when appropriate.

The goal of this project is to increase awareness of the importance of a genetic program and clinical trials and how they can enhance each other. An emphasis on education of the public and of the staff will be necessary to achieve this goal. A measurement of the success of this program will be achieved through expanded education initiatives, increased accrual to clinical trials, and increased referrals to the genetic program. Clinical trial nurses, cancer genetic nurses, program administrators, and patients will benefit from this unique model. It is hoped that the integration of these two programs will bring to the community the very best of cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, and most of all, HOPE for the future of cancer care.