|  |  |  | | | | HAEMATOLOGY NURSING ON THE MOVE | | | | |
| |  | |  Marvelle Brown (Nurse Educator)
Release Date: 1st May 2004
Nursing Leukaemia by Leukaemia Research celebrated the nurse’s role in haematology at the organisation’s Annual Conference on Saturday 24th April. Marvelle Brown, nurse speaker at the event, hailed the development of haematology nursing which has entered the 21st century alongside NHS government proposals aimed at stream lining services for haematology patients.
One of the main events at the fundraisers’ conference, which was held at Tower Thistle Hotel, London, was an update on the success of Nursing Leukaemia.
Marvelle Brown, Macmillan Senior Lecturer in Haematology Nursing and Programme Leader for BSc(Hons) professional practice degrees in nursing, at Thames Valley University, talked about the important role of nurses in haematology, including their vital contribution to clinical trials.
In a rousing presentation called ‘Nursing on the Move’ she said: “Haematology nursing really is on move. As nurses, we are now making great strides in addressing and improving areas where haematology patients are treated and having a say in how health services should be structured for our patients in the future.”
No one knows more than Marvelle, the gradual rise of haematology as a specialism. She was the first nurse to produce a programme for the post basic haematology nurse certificate which was successfully introduced in 1991. “It’s been a long road for haematology nursing. It was generally viewed as cinderella to oncology. Patients with blood cancers like leukaemia have needs which are unique from solid cancers. Nurses have long recognised this and have been determined to define the speciality in its own right. We have definitely moved from the poor relation image we once had.”
Nurses are at the frontline of health care. Since two important reports by the Department of Health: the Calman Hine report (1995) and the NHS Cancer Plan (DoH England, 2000) both proposing recommendations for provision of cancer services, nurses have been the focus for their part in a national strategy in cancer care.
Marvelle’s experience as a specialist nurse and educator has lead her to speak widely about developments within the profession. “Patients were often treated in a hospital settings which did not always provide a consistency in haematological care. This may have put limitations on their route to recovery. The government’s aim to streamline services means that even if patients are being nursed in medical areas not strictly haematological, they should receive a standard of treatment, care and information which will lead them to an acceptable level of recovery or management,” she said.
She sees nursing at national and local level continually aim improve the outcome of patients, and added: “A more structured service, and the recognition for nurses to keep themselves educated both professionally and actively in their work means patients are continually benefiting. What we have now is a flourishing speciality for nurses and the patients they endeavour to care for.”
Thriving times have brought nurses to work collectively in professional groups and with their medical and more recently scientific colleagues. One increasing area of contribution is in clinical trials. Nurses have a key role to play in recruiting patients to important drug therapy trials with the ultimate goal to improve treatments. With the acknowlegement of their clinical skills and knowledge they are also working with patients, collecting data and sometimes even using labaratory techniques.
One of their most important attributes is their unique communication skills, which allied professionals have recognised. “Nurses have the occupational skill of being able to talk to patients during difficult times in their lives, in illness, recovery and terminal stages of health,” Marvelle said. “They set out to learn to be good communicators, inherent in their role, and therefore are a likely candidate for ensuring that patients understand the implications of being involved in a clinical trial as well as helping them make their journey through it.”
With the ever changing development of how blood cancers will be treated in the future, nurses are eager to be informed about these conditions. “Nurses at all levels in haematology care for patients every day who require different levels of information during their treatment,” Marvelle said. “Nursing Leukaemia continues to give nurses access to information about leukaemia and blood cancers via publications and the website, as well as regular updates on recent treatment developments. I’m sure they will find it an excellent resource for themselves and their patients.”
Ken Campbell, Clinical Information Officer, spoke about access to information and the charity’s recently re-launched website. “We know that nurses need to be kept up-dated about haematological cancers. There is a lot of information out there and it can be difficult to tease out the relevant appropriate facts. The campaign marks a growing need by nurses for easy to understand scientific information related to these serious conditions, diagnosed in 65 people a day in the UK. We want to make this process easier by giving them access to research-based factual information.”
Other themes for this year’s session were “Treating Leukaemia with Molecular Medicine”. The charity demonstrated how our increasing knowledge of the human genetic blueprint is being used to design more specific and selective treatments.
Nursing Leukaemia was launched in July 2003, and has since developed into a valuable campaign visiting nurse conferences, providing online information for nurses and distributing over 20,000 Leukaemia Research publications and literature annually to hospital haematology units.
To view Marvelle's presentation at the Leukaemia Research Conference please download here.
Biography
Marvelle Brown, Macmillan Senior Lecturer in Haematology and Programme Leader for BSc(Hons) professional practice degrees, has worked in haematology nursing for 12 years. She entered nurse education in 1991 and specialises as a lecturer for the Clinical Haematology degree for nurses at the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Thames Valley University in Ealing. Marvelle has spoken widely at nursing conferences both nationally and internationally and features regularly in the nursing press including the RCN publication Cancer Nursing Practice.
Source: Livvy Fernandes, Press and Communications Assistant
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