ONS Annual Congress

With an increasing number of cancer therapies being delivered orally, the importance of adherence continues to grow, and efforts to adapt adherence programs from other conditions like HIV could lead to better outcomes.

Effectively communicating with patients about what to expect before and after cancer treatment is an essential element of patient care.

Denise Fleming, RN, BSN, OCN, University of California Davis Health System, Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the idea of a pre-treatment education phone call to patients scheduled to receive their first chemotherapy regimen in an outpatient facility.

Oncology practitioners and patients are increasingly looking to holistic interventions, such as aromatherapy, healing touch, guided imagery, and massage, to improve patient outcomes.

Oncology nurses attending today's keynote at the 2014 ONS Annual Congress received a rousing call to action from speaker Devon Harris, who told a packed arena at the Anaheim Convention Center that recognizing and deploying their own considerable leadership skills can reap manifold benefits for their patients, their peers, and their practices.

Carol Cannon, RN, BSN, OCN, Oncology Program Specialist, Nurse Oncology Education Program, Austin, Texas, discusses the importance of exercise and diet for cancer patients and how nurses can approach the subject.

Anne Kolenic, RN, BSN, OCN, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, Ohio, discusses a pilot study that examined novice nurses' end-of-life communication skills while measuring their confidence levels on the subject.

The 39th Annual ONS Congress opens in Anaheim May 1 with an array of presentations and interactive programs aimed at offering attendees practical tips and tools they can use right away in their practices.

Each year, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Annual Congress showcases leading nursing research to advance evidence-based practice, and this year's meeting is no exception.