ONS Announces Updates to its Research Agenda
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) announces that its Research Agenda, which focuses on gaps in the knowledge base for oncology nursing practice, was updated in 2011. The ONS Research Agenda provides guidance for research initiatives to meet ONS’s mission to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care. The Research Agenda also provides guidance for the ONS Foundation’s mission to improve cancer care and the lives of people with cancer by funding oncology nursing research, scholarships, awards, and education programs.
The ONS Research Agenda updating process is a multi-method, stakeholder-driven consensus building effort. The task force members review new research published since the previous ONS Research Agenda update and identify gaps in the science. “Every two years, the task force identifies priority areas for new knowledge in oncology nursing to complement the rapid developments in oncology practice,” said lead author, Ann M. Berger, PhD, APRN, AOCNS®, FAAN. Berger is Professor and Dorothy Hodges Olson Endowed Chair in Nursing, Advanced Practice Nurse, Director, PhD Program at the College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Seven content areas with specific priorities within each content area are identified in the ONS Research Agenda:
- Health Promotion
- Cancer Symptoms and Side Effects
- Late Effects of Cancer Treatment and Long-term Survivorship Issues
- End-of-Life Issues
- Psychosocial and Family Issues
- Nursing-Sensitive Patient Outcomes
- Translation Science
The content areas and priority topics can be used by oncology research teams that include nurse scientists and are often led by nurse scientists to guide their development of research proposals and programs of research. When research proposals are submitted to funding organizations, the investigators can describe how their proposed research will address gaps identified by the ONS Research Agenda. The ONS Foundation uses the ONS Research Agenda to seek funding for their Research Grant Program. The ONS Research Agenda will be updated again in late 2013.
The entire ONS Research Agenda, an Executive Summary, and Talking Points are available at http://www.ons.org/Research. Updating of the ONS Research Agenda work was funded by the ONS Foundation.
ONS is a professional organization of more than 35,000 registered nurses and other healthcare professionals committed to excellence in oncology nursing and to leading the transformation of cancer care by initiating and actively supporting educational, legislative, and public awareness efforts to improve the care of people with cancer. ONS provides nurses and healthcare professionals with access to the highest quality educational programs, cancer care resources, research opportunities, and networks for peer support. Learn more at www.ons.org.
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