Specialist breast care nurses for supportive care of women with breast cancer

Abstract

Background Breast Care Nurses (BCNs) are now established internationally, predominantly in well resourced healthcare systems. The role of BCNs has expanded to reflect the diversity of the population in which they work, and the improvements in survival of women with breast cancer. Interventions by BCNs aim to support women and help them cope with the impact of the disease on their quality of life. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of individual interventions carried out by BCN's on quality of life outcomes for women with breast cancer.

The clinical effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of clinical nurse specialist‐led hospital to home transitional care: a systematic review

“…Studies comparing master's and non-master's prepared nurses indicate that graduate education is important for CNS role enactment consistent with advanced nursing practice [12,13]. Previous systematic reviews of specialist nurses indicate that variability in nurse education may contribute to inconclusive findings and restrict the generalizability of results [14,15].…”

An evaluation of a specialist nursing service for adult patients with congenital heart disease

“…Recent studies and Cochrane reviews investigating the impact of specialist nursing roles more widely, have noted the limited evidence for their impact available from randomized trials and a lack of sensitivity of some patient outcome measures used. [4][5][6][7] Others have noted a need to develop nursing care and outcome measures based on the patient experience and need. [6][7][8] A recent systematic review of hospital nurse staffing models related to patient and staff-related outcomes, noted that specialist nurses might exert a positive impact on patient outcomes, for example, in relation to hospital stay and development of selected complications.…”

Feasibility of a quality improvement strategy integrating psychosocial care into 28 medical cancer centers (HuCare project)

“…A specialist nurse should be assigned to each patient from the first cycle of therapy. There is evidence that these professionals are highly valued by patients [24]. This person accompanies the patient through his/her care and acts as a link between the patient and hospital services.…”