Clinical journal of oncology nursing
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Opioids are commonly prescribed to manage cancer pain. Similar to the general population, patients with cancer are not excluded from the risk for opioid misuse and dependence. This situation can contribute to clinician reluctance to prescribe and manage pain using opioids. ⋯ The project established a hospitalwide opioid stewardship program. Through the use of a multidisciplinary, universal precautions approach to assessing misuse in all patients with cancer who are prescribed opioids, healthcare teams can potentially reduce risks associated with misuse while safely managing cancer pain.
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Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy program development has regulatory demands and unique operational processes that vary across settings. The infrastructure in which CAR T-cell therapy is implemented has implications for nursing education and competencies. ⋯ CAR T-cell therapy continues to expand as the number of centers offering approved therapies increases. Standardized workflow components and staff education are essential for best patient outcomes regardless of location and type of program that provides the therapy.
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Thorough, consistent pain assessment and reassessment are critical to guide and evaluate interventions designed to improve pain. ⋯ Seventy-eight percent of nurses surveyed (N = 64) preferred the DVPRS over any other pain assessment tool. Inpatient and ambulatory patients surveyed (N = 144) agreed that a Likert-type scale in the DVPRS was easier to understand, easier to use, and better in describing their pain than the numeric rating scale.
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Review
Cancer-Related Pain: Assessment and Management With Putting Evidence Into Practice Interventions .
Many evidence-based pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies exist to manage acute, chronic, refractory, and breakthrough cancer pain. This supplement includes an overview of cancer pain assessment, which is the foundation of pain management. Following the overview are four systematic reviews covering 462 studies on cancer pain management. The Oncology Nursing Society Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP) expert panel summarized the evidence and provided recommendations for practice based on PEP guidelines.
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Biosimilars are developed to be highly similar to and treat the same conditions as licensed biologics. As they are approved and their use becomes more widespread, oncology nurses should be aware of their development and unique considerations. ⋯ Because biologics are large, structurally complex molecules, biosimilars cannot be considered generic equivalents to licensed biologic products. Consequently, regulatory approval for biosimilars is different from approval for small-molecule generics. Oncology nurses are in a unique position to educate themselves, other clinicians, and patients and their families about biosimilars to ensure accurate understanding, as well as optimal and safe use, of biosimilars.