Role of the nurse in the design, delivery, monitoring and coordination of cancer survivorship care plans: An integrative review

Abstract

Aim: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are recommended as a tool for the care of cancer survivors. SCPs have been implemented with a multidisciplinary approach; however, the specific role of nurses in the SCP is unknown. Our aim is to determine the role of nurses and their degree of participation in cancer SCPs. Design:Integrative review of the literature with systematic methodology. Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane and Cancerlit databases were reviewed. Articles published up to March 2021 were included.Review method: Of the 2,638 publications identified, 22 studies met our inclusion criteria. Quality of included studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tools. Results:The studies showed that nurses play a key role and participate in different phases of the SCP, including design, delivery, monitoring and coordination among different levels of care, with varying degrees of involvement and responsibility; design and delivery of the SCP are the phases with the highest nurse participation (18 out of 22 studies). The majority of SCPs are implemented in specialized, hospital-based care and focus on short-term cancer survivors, who are actively undergoing oncological treatments. Conclusion:This review shows that nurses actively participate in the design, implementation and coordination of SCPs. However, SCPs focus on the acute survival and treatment phases, and there is a gap in their use in long-term cancer survivorship. This gap may be one reason the needs of long-term cancer survivors are not covered.Impact: This review contributes to the current body of knowledge by addressing the role of nurses in cancer SCPs. We recommend the involvement of an advanced practice nurse as SCP coordinator to improve communication between cancer specialists and primary care providers and to promote continued care throughout the different phases of cancer survivorship, including long-term survival.

Coping strategies in patients undergoing surgery treatment for pituitary tumour in China: A cross‐sectional survey

“…During our investigation, many patients complained that medical insurance system did not cover the necessary medical service, for example when the patients were doing MRI, pituitary full blood examination and some other examining projects. Therefore, the financial TA B L E 3 Univariate analysis of coping strategies in patients with pituitary tumours patient's concerns (Chittem, 2014;Elizondo Rodriguez et al, 2022;Richardson et al, 2017).…”

“…During our investigation, many patients complained that medical insurance system did not cover the necessary medical service, for example when the patients were doing MRI, pituitary full blood examination and some other examining projects. Therefore, the financial supports from the community and government, the construction of a sound health insurance system are needed as soon as possible, for aim of maximizing radiation to correct the reimbursement system on clinic treatment costs, and medical workers should rationalize the medical resources, give full support and understanding to the patient for the purpose of relieving and diverting the patient’s concerns (Chittem, 2014 ; Elizondo Rodriguez et al, 2022 ; Richardson et al, 2017 ).…”

Educational Intervention for Family Nursing Students in Long-Term Cancer Survivorship: A Randomized Pilot Trial

“…The period outside of acute care, in particular, has been identified as a time when the patient’s needs are often not addressed and even less consideration is given to the tasks and needs of the family members (Tolbert et al, 2018). Currently, few countries have implemented long-term cancer survivorship care plans, and survivorship care needs to be better managed, with nurses playing a key role in the design, delivery, follow-up, and coordination of these plans (Elizondo Rodriguez et al, 2022). Care must also include the family of the long-term cancer survivor as recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2021).…”

The Use and Misuse of the Concept of Cancer Survivor

“…Today, these components are mostly operational through the survivorship care plan in which nurses actively participate in its design, delivery, monitoring, and coordination 7 . However, the use of survivorship care plans has not been extended to long-term cancer survivorship care and has been mainly implemented in acute and extended survival (hospital-based care) despite a growing population of long-term survivors 7 . Therefore, it is urgent to extend survivorship care plans to primary care to provide quality care to long-term cancer survivors, most of whom have been discharged from specialized care after 5 years of being disease-free.…”

“…Essential components of survivorship care are (1) surveillance and detection of new cancers and recurrent cancer, (2) management of late and long-term effects of cancer and its treatment, (3) health promotion and quality of life (diet and nutrition, physical activity, effective coping, etc), and (4) care coordination between specialists and primary care providers 2 . Today, these components are mostly operational through the survivorship care plan in which nurses actively participate in its design, delivery, monitoring, and coordination 7 . However, the use of survivorship care plans has not been extended to long-term cancer survivorship care and has been mainly implemented in acute and extended survival (hospital-based care) despite a growing population of long-term survivors 7 .…”