Congress Abstracts 2004

12

DEVELOPING AN INTERACTIVE WEB SITE FOR CHEMOTHERAPY, INSTRUCTION, TRAINING, AND EVALUATION (CITE). Ellyn E. Matthews, PhD, RN, AOCN^®, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO, and Leah Mraz, MSN, RN, C, OCN^®, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.

Society’s Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Course can attend a three-day Chemotherapy Clinical Practicum and receive individualized instruction on chemotherapy administration. However, learning to use new equipment in a new environment can be stressful, hindering the process of learning to administer chemotherapy correctly. Two nurse clinicians recently developed an interactive Web site for nurses attending practicum.

The purpose of this site is to enhance chemotherapy education through efficient and cost effective instruction, promote technology-centered education and creative delivery of information; strengthen collaboration with a network of NJ hospitals; and to provide opportunity for education-centered research. Reasons for developing the site include providing updated and consistent content in a cost effective, efficient manner; offering convenient, self-paced, immediately validated learning opportunities to multiple learners; decreasing participant anxiety and improve clinical performance; and increasing faculty knowledge and skill related to the use of technology in education.

This interactive Web site provides advanced practice with calculating body surface area, absolute neutrophil count, and chemotherapy doses, as well as streaming video demonstrating the procedures for inserting intravenous access. Also included are institution specific policies and procedures, samples of documentation tools, links to helpful Web sites, a quiz, and evaluation. Completion of the site course prior to practicum enables students to focus attention on chemotherapy administration.

Anticipated outcomes included reduced time in preparing practicum information; reduced time lag inherent in revising written materials; improved preparation for the practicum; better allocation of faculty/participant time; oncology education distribution to a broader audience; and reduced participant anxiety and increased patient comfort. The Web site has been up and running for almost a year and all anticipated outcomes have been met.

Oncology nurse educators should consider using the Web site as a method of education for orienting new nurses to chemotherapy administration because it results in numerous positive learner and educator benefits.