|  |  |  | | | | NURSING LEUKAEMIA SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH AT RCN CONFERENCE | | | | |
| |  | |  Nursing Leukaemia display stand
Release Date: 5 July 2003
Charities were clearly put in focus at the RCN Conference A Journey Through Cancer: Choices and Dilemmas, 2-4 July 2003. The conference opening comments revealed how voluntary sector organisations are increasingly being asked to provide a public service by the state. A concern highlighted by Peter Cardy, Chief Executive, from Macmillan Cancer Relief.
Leukaemia Research have addressed public provision by not only offering a wide range of information to the public through their publications, but driving the new Nursing Leukaemia campaign to strike at the very heart of education for health professionals who deal with patients everyday.
Following a successful turnout at the Nursing Leukaemia launch at the conference, David Grant, Scientific Director at Leukaemia Research, welcomed the charity's new intiative for public and health professionals. "Even as a research charity we have come closer to being involved with what patients want from an organisation such as ours – nurses are a fundamental part of that process," he said.
"Scientific research can seem a distant activity from the everyday experience of patients treated in the health service. The innovations in recent research are now making treatments much safer, with less side effects to individual patients, and will increasingly affect the way nurses come to care for these patients.
He went on to add: 'Our aims to provide information to nurses, both from publications and the Nursing Leukaemia web pages, is an important part of the charity's commitment in both recognising government proposals for healthcare and what the public want."
Haematological issues were well represented at the conference with some interesting specialist talks from the nursing community. Dawn Casey's small-scale project on nutrition and young people undergoing chemotherapy brought attention to problems associated with appetite function during this life-saving treatment.
Dawn, a Paediatric Clinical Teacher at the Cardiff and Wales NHS Trust, whose project included children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, said: "Children's eating patterns are affected by both the cancer and the treatment. The changes can include a loss of appetite and food cravings. Families often try to compensate for this by offering 'junk food'. This combination can result in a poor nutritional state in the child. It is important for nurses to identify this and involve both the child and the family members when aiming to maintain a healthy diet during chemotherapy."
The chances of being able to conceive following chemotherapy are a constant concern for many adults under treatment. Jane Denton, Director of the Multiple Birth Foundation whose expertise into the legal statutory handling of embryos and fertility treatment focused on the clear guidelines for nurses dealing with fertility issues after cancer care.
Following Jane's speech, she said to us: "With the advances in assisted reproductive technologies, it should be a routine part of care in cancer services to consider if fertility may be affected by treatment and make sure patients receive information about their fertility options. Nurses should be aware of the local services that are available through the NHS and privately. Collaboration between the staff in the cancer and infertility services is essential as complex information has to be considered and difficult decisions made at a very sensitive and emotional time for patients and their families. Nurses and other staff need information, training, support and help to make sure they are able to deliver the best care for their patients."
Infusional devices used to deliver necessary drugs to patients in haematology units has become an important part of cancer care. A demanding NHS, requires that important equipment requires safe, effective and economical means to provide effective treatment to patients. In a dynamic nurse-led unit at the Belfast City Hospital Trust, Dympna McParlan, Infusional Services Sister, explained how effective nurse intervention led to improved standards of care for both nursing practice and patient self-management of these devices.
She said: "The development of Infusional Services has enhanced the quality of care immensely for oncology and haematology patients. This service has enabled patient and staff access to a team of specialist nurses who have expert knowledge and skills in all aspects of intravenous therapy. This has resulted in the provision of high quality, patient centred, evidence-based care for patients with cancer."
Many of the presentations centred on communication dilemmas specific to patients with serious conditions seen in specialities like haematology. These often compound both healthcare professionals and patients. Interesting, informative and sometimes poignant subjects included the complex nature of patient communication both through nursing records and face-to-face exchanges. 'Written Words: Hidden Meanings', gave a closer look at how professionals document patient death; and 'The Need to Develop Student Nurses to Answer Difficult Questions in Cancer Care,' concentrated on the need for learner nurses to be given adequate preparation in handling patients' concerns about their illness.
Source: Livvy Fernandes, Press and Communications Assistant
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