Congress Abstracts 2005

64

A REPORT CARD ON ONCOLOGY NURSES: SURVEY OF PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER. Karen J. Stanley, RN, MSN, AOCN^®, FAAN, Self-Employed, Greenwich, CT; Neil Love, MD, Jennifer Love, BS, and Richard Kaderman, PhD, Research to Practice, Miami, FL; Douglas Paley, BA, Self-Employed, Miami, FL; and Michelle Paley, MD, Research to Practice, Miami, FL.

Patients with metastatic breast cancer have multiple needs related to the psychological impact of being diagnosed with an incurable disease as well as the demands of the chronic nature of their illness. Oncology nurses have set high standards with regard to patient education and emotional support, but relatively minimal information is available on how well they actually fulfill those needs.

The objective of this evaluation was to assess the needs of patients with metastatic breast cancer and their level of satisfaction with oncology nurses in order to guide professional education and patient care.

Patients with metastatic breast cancer—recruited nationally through oncology offices and support groups—voluntarily participated in a 250-item, approximately 45-minute anonymous telephone interview. They were asked to rate on a scale of 1–5 (least to most important) and to grade (A-F) specific aspects of care provided by oncology nurses.

154 patients with metastatic breast cancer (153 females, one male, mean age 56.7 years) were surveyed. Ninety percent of the participants rated “allowing the patient to be an active participant in decision-making” as 5 (most important). “Providing information about treatment,” “providing reassurance” and “providing emotional support” were rated as 5 by 85%, 66% and 58% of patients, respectively. The percentage of “A grades” given to oncology nurses were: overall care 81%, allowing questions 86%, emotional support 74%, time spent with the patient 65%, overall information provided 59%, information provided on side effects 59%, and phone interactions with patients 67%.

Patients with metastatic breast cancer rate the need for information and participation in decision-making somewhat higher than their need for emotional support. While they have a high level of satisfaction with their oncology nurses, a significant percentage feel that treatment information is suboptimal and emotional support could be more substantial. These perspectives provide an opportunity for nurses to make changes in professional education and on-the-job training, to routinely assess patients for satisfaction with these issues, and to improve patient education methods.