Big Challenges, Even Bigger Opportunities for Nurses in Today's Healthcare Arena
April 14th 2016How healthcare is delivered in the United States continues to rapidly and dramatically evolve, with legislative, budgetary, and demographic realities all coming into play. The nurse’s role has changed, too.
Marriage's Cancer Survival Benefit Is Independent of Income, Study Finds
April 13th 2016Being married may help extend survival among patients with cancer, and the benefit is largely unaffected by economic resources like health insurance, a finding which suggests that clinicians who treat unmarried patients with cancer should ask if there is someone within their social network available to help them physically and emotionally.
Despite Advances in Computerized Entry, Harmful Drug Orders Persist
April 12th 2016The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) released its report Preventing Medication Errors in Hospitals April 7, which analyzed computerized physician order entry (CPOE) adoption and its ability to detect potentially harmful medication errors.
Three Prognostic Factors Found Predictive of Radiation Benefit for DCIS
April 7th 2016A team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has discovered a set of 3 measurable risk factors that can help predict the magnitude of survival benefit offered by radiation therapy following breast-conserving surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ.
Liposomal Bupivacaine Reduces Complications and Opioid Use After Surgery
April 6th 2016Bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension (Exparel) was found to be similarly effective in reducing pain compared with conventional bupivacaine HCL, but reduced ileus, nausea, and the need for patient-controlled analgesia and rescue IV opioid use.
Older Adults Using More Supplements, Increasing Polypharmacy Risks
April 5th 2016Supplements are not regulated in the same way that prescription medications are regulated in the United States; consequently, the supplement market, which includes vitamins, probiotics, fish oils, etc, has greatly expanded over the past decade.
NCCN Expert Spotlights Trials Impacting Breast Cancer Care
April 4th 2016At the 2016 NCCN Annual Conference, William J. Gradishar, MD, a professor of Breast Oncology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, discussed updates to the NCCN Breast Cancer Guideline and the latest research developments in the field.
Palliative Care Should Begin Early and Engage a Multidisciplinary Team
April 1st 2016The spotlight was on improving palliative cancer care at the opening session of the 2016 NCCN Annual Meeting, with a panel of experts stressing the importance of delivering these services earlier in the cancer care trajectory and involving teams in the effort.
New Guidelines Issued for Head and Neck Cancer Survivor Care
March 28th 2016The American Cancer Society has issued a new clinical practice guideline for the follow-up screening and care coordination for this population of survivors, who may experience significant physical, psychosocial, and practical effects from their cancer and its treatment.
Symptom Burden Higher in Newly Diagnosed Patients Reporting Financial Strain
March 25th 2016A study published by researchers at the Dana Farber-Cancer Institute recently discovered that financial status plays a large role in the level of symptom burden and quality of life for patients newly diagnosed with lung or colorectal cancer.
Extended-Release Anti-CINV Agent Effective in Patients Treated With Cisplatin
March 22nd 2016Findings from a randomized trial reported at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology showed that APF530, an extended-release formulation of the antiemetic granisetron, achieved a complete response more often than did ondansetron in patients receiving highly emetogenic cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Neurofeedback Relieves Pain of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
March 19th 2016A majority of patients with cancer who undergo chemotherapy experience neuropathy as result of the treatment, and a new study conducted by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests that neurofeedback can reduce the pain associated with the condition and improve quality of life.