Congress Abstracts 2005

60

THE PATIENT/FAMILY LEARNING CENTER: AN APPROACH TO ACHIEVING SELF EFFICACY. Karen Hammelef, RN, MS, CS, and Debby Roisen, BSN, RN, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI.

The cancer patient preparing for chemotherapy treatment faces a myriad of complex concepts to learn and skills to master. In a time span averaging one week, the typical cancer patient is confronted with medications to learn, side effects to manage, catheters to care for and pumps to monitor. At this NCI designated comprehensive cancer center, the chemotherapy education process was fraught with redundancies and omissions. The process lacked a conceptual framework that incorporated principles of adult learning theory. These educational issues highlighted concerns regarding patient safety, regulatory compliance, utilization of appropriate resources and the quality of education received.

The purpose of this project is to improve the education process for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy using the Plan-Do-Check-Act Model for quality improvement initiatives. Chart audits and organizational data revealed poor compliance with regulatory documentation standards, poor staff satisfaction with the complex process of patient education and inconsistent teaching standards. Desired improvements addressed standardizing the education process & content, alleviating infusion area space concerns and implementing regulatory requirements for documentation.

A proposal for development of a centralized teaching center, staffed by an experienced oncology chemotherapy nurse educator was adopted in 2003 after a lengthy “Plan” process. The learning center opened in April, 2004 using focused integration strategies identified in the “Do” component of the PDCA process. A novel approach to chemotherapy preparation was developed based on the surgical model of preparing a patient for the operating room.

Clinical, staff and organizational outcomes were measured by surveys, resource utilization data and chart audits. Outcomes realized include improved patient & staff satisfaction with education process, increased compliance with documentation & regulatory education standards and improved efficiency in the infusion areas.

This approach to chemotherapy skills mastery in the cancer patient and family may be adopted to create self efficacy in any population challenged with complex skills and concepts. The learning center approach contributes to organizational improvements of increased patient and staff satisfaction, efficiency and compliance with regulatory standards as well as enhanced patient education; universal goals for cancer care providers.