• To read about an audit and re-audit of advanced nurse practitioner-led oral anti-cancer medicine practice in a hospital and then in the community
• To understand how the implementation of a quality improvement plan can address gaps in practice identified on audit
• To appreciate the importance of adherence to best practice standards to ensure safe and quality patient care
Healthcare in the Republic of Ireland experienced a shift in the delivery of services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the authors’ hospital, patients receiving oral anticancer medicines had their care transferred from the hospital-based oncology day unit, initially to a hospital-based advanced nurse practitioner- (ANP-) led oncology service then to a community-based ANP-led oncology service. A retrospective audit of the assessment, monitoring, patient education and prescribing practices for adult patients attending the ANP-led hospital oncology service was undertaken in March 2021. A quality improvement plan was subsequently developed and implemented and the audit was repeated in February 2022 following transition to an ANP-led community-based oncology service. The re-audit showed a marked improvement in the standard of care delivered to adults receiving oral anti-cancer medicines from an ANP in the community.
Cancer Nursing Practice. 22, 5, 21-28. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2023.e1833
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software
Conflict of interestThis work was supported by The Irish Cancer Society (grant number CNRA19RIC) in collaboration with the Health Research Board the National Cancer Control Programme and the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director. The authors wish to thank the Letterkenny University Hospital clinical audit department staff – Aine Slevin and AnnMarie Giles – for their assistance, technical support and input into the tool development. The funders had no role in research design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript
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