PHILADELPHIA (April 15, 2025) — Fox Chase Cancer Center nurses Margaret Perri, BSN, RN, Elaine Spieller, BSN, RN, OCN, and Melissa Pfeifer, BSN, RN, presented a study at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress highlighting the importance of educating inpatient nurses in community hospitals on best practices for treating oncologic emergencies.
“This study was important to us because educating inpatient nurses on treating oncologic emergencies ensures the best patient outcomes. By fostering a relationship between the nurses in oncology ambulatory care and inpatient nurses, we can create a more seamless care experience for the patient,” said Perri.
During this study, a new outpatient oncologic ambulatory care center opened in an existing community hospital that did not regularly see oncology patients. Perri said inpatient nurses were eager to be able to serve this new demographic but wanted to ensure they had the skill set.
“First, we assessed their current knowledge of these oncologic practices just to get an understanding of where they were starting from. Once we identified the most basic and common oncologic emergencies, we wanted to make sure that these inpatient nurses would be able to identify and treat them accordingly,” said Perri.
The educational sessions included a summary of oncologic emergencies, signs and symptoms, and the treatments for each emergency. This information was shared with each unit and inpatient nurses were provided with a copy for reference. Oncology nurses also encouraged an open line of communication among nursing teams so that inpatient nurses would have access to oncologic resources going forward.
At the conclusion of the training, Perri said the teams in both oncology ambulatory care and inpatient nursing forged a new network to enhance patient satisfaction and better outcomes.
“The inpatient nurses now have a greater understanding and a larger network to provide evidence-based practice and ensure patient safety. Collaboration among the healthcare system ensures that patients are receiving continuum of care across the patient experience. This leads to greater satisfaction among patients, caregivers, and healthcare employees,” said Pfeifer.
The study was presented in a poster session at the 50th Annual ONS Congress, which was held on April 9-13 in Denver.