Louise Eaton Discusses Managing Patients Undergoing Stem Cell Transplant
Louise Eaton, RN, BSN, OCN, inpatient Stem Cell Transplant Unit, John Theurer Cancer Center, gives advice on how nurses should manage patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.
Louise Eaton, RN, BSN, OCN, inpatient Stem Cell Transplant Unit, John Theurer Cancer Center, gives advice on how nurses should manage patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.
Eaton says because this treatment is not an option for all patients, nurses should anticipate the patients’ needs and be sensitive to this fact. From the medical side, patients are going to be seeing some side effects from chemotherapy in addition to the transplant. Eaton says nurses have to be prepared for complications that can arise if the regrowth of the bone marrow is slow.
Nurses should also be ready to educate their patient, Eaton says. Some patients are very knowledgeable about their disease and the procedure while others are not. Eaton says nurses should go over all terminology and what that means for a patient.
