Highlights from the Oncology
Nursing Society Radiation
eConference: Radiation Then and Now
September 9–10, 2011
Hosted in Pittsburgh, PA
Approximately two-thirds of patients with cancer receive radiation therapy at some point in their care. And, like all aspects of cancer care, radiation treatment is constantly evolving and improving. The ONS Radiation eConference featured detailed information on radiation-related issues, focusing on “Radiation Then and Now.” Speakers talked about how the specialty has changed over the years and discussed its future, including proton therapy and the need for more survivorship care. In addition to educational sessions, attendees were able to interact virtually in real time with other attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and more.
With more than 250 attending virtually from across the United States, the inaugural ONS Radiation eConference: Radiation Then and Now was a hit. Here’s a look at some highlights from the event.
If you weren’t able to attend the live event, you can still register for the archived version later this month.
Keynote Presentation
Kevin Sowers, MSN, RN
Sowers kicked off the event talking about how nursing has evolved over the years. He discussed the challenges patients and providers face related to healthcare reimbursement and how in today’s environment, costs can drastically affect care and access to care. He also talked about advances in education and how the nursing role will change and grow in the coming years.
Review of the Basics
Vanna Dest, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN®
To discover where we’re going, we first must understand where we’ve been. Dest reviewed the history of radiation therapy, discussing the different types of treatments and how they have evolved over the years. She also explored the role of radiation nurses and how they are a key component of cancer care.
New Technology Updates: Changing How Treatment is Delivered
Robyn Walker, BA, RT
Ann Calcaterra, RN, MSN, NP-C, OCN®
John Christodouleas, MD
Radiation treatments are always advancing. In this in-depth session, three experts discussed how we can improve the care of patients receiving radiation therapy. They discussed the process of immobilization and imaging of patients prior to treatment. They also delved into brachytherapy devices for breast cancer and interstitial treatment for prostate disease. Participants were introduced to photon therapy.
Survivorship issues also came to the forefront, as speakers described short- and long-term effects of treatment and reviewed clinical data related to overall survival rates.
They also discussed how the role of nurses may change as new technologies emerge.
New Technology – Have you Heard What’s in the Pipeline?
Michelle Alonso-Basanta, MD, PhD
This session presented an in-depth look at future technological advances in stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), including use of cyberknife, gammaknife, and selective internal radiation (SIR) Spheres to name a few. Discussion topics included the role of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), cryotherapy, radiosensitizers, and nanotechnology and how these will impact radiation oncology in the future. Attendees were very interested in learning more about the use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and circulating tumor cells (CTC), long-term side effects of the newer therapies, as well as symptom management and specific education needs for patients receiving these therapies.
What’s in the News? Quality Management in Radiation Therapy
Elaine Montchal, RN, OCN®
Quality is key to patient outcomes. In this session, the importance of quality assurance to solve issues related to radiation safety and the nurse’s role related to process improvements and quality patient care were presented. Discussion around the importance of routine chart audits and checks as well as how root-cause analysis and other quality assurance measures can ultimately improve patient and staff safety were discussed.
Survivorship
Colleen Turrisi, RN, MSN, AOCN®
Shari Moura, RN, MN, CON(c), CHPCN®
Survivorship is an important issue affecting all patients regardless of treatment modality. Speakers presented an overview of survivorship for various disease states, including breast and prostate. Attendees left the session with resources to help patients, their families, and their caregivers.
They also learned more about an innovative new initiative that was recently launched at Princess Margaret Hospital in Canada and how it is changing survivorship care today and where it is headed in the future.
Symptom Management Research/EBP
Marilyn Haas, PhD, RN, CNS, ANP-BC
Elise Carper, RN, MA, ANP-BC, AOCN®
Symptom management remains a challenge to many nurses in radiation. In this session, attendees watched an in-depth review of the new evidence related to the challenging effects of radiation. Speakers focused on radiodermititis and oral issues, sharing pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions for each of these challenging side effects. Speakers and attendees participated in an energetic discussion and provided experiential information during a question-and-answer session.
Palliative Care
Pam Kedziera, RN, MSN, AOCN®
This session provided detailed information related to all aspects of palliative care, taking into consideration the needs of both patients and their caregivers. The presenter focused on when to begin discussions of this state of treatment, sharing assessment-related questions to help determine palliative care needs. Speakers and attendees also discussed the challenges of implementation and of getting physician buy-in.
Hot Topics
Mary Ann Plambeck, RN, MSN, OCN®
When it comes to radiation, there are many hot topics out there. This session focused on three commonly faced by nurses in radiation oncology--pacemakers, pregnancy, and electronic medical records (EMR). During this session, participants networked to share their experiences with each of the topics. They discussed policies and procedures related to pacemakers and pregnancy as well as their experiences with EMR implementation and adaptation.