Automated tobacco assessment and cessation support for cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco assessment and cessation support are not routinely included in cancer care. An automated tobacco assessment and cessation program was developed to increase the delivery of tobacco cessation support for cancer patients. METHODS: A structured tobacco assessment was incorporated into the electronic health record at Roswell Park Cancer Institute to identify tobacco use in cancer patients at diagnosis and during follow-up. All patients who reported tobacco use within the past 30 days were automatically referred to a dedicated cessation program that provided cessation counseling. Data were analyzed for referral accuracy and interest in cessation support. RESULTS: Between October 2010 and December 2012, 11,868 patients were screened for tobacco use, and 2765 were identified as tobacco users and were referred to the cessation service. In referred patients, 1381 of those patients received only a mailed invitation to contact the cessation service, and 1384 received a mailing as well as telephone contact attempts from the cessation service. In the 1126 (81.4%) patients contacted by telephone, 51 (4.5%) reported no tobacco use within the past 30 days, 35 (3.1%) were medically unable to participate, and 30 (2.7%) declined participation. Of the 1381 patients who received only a mailed invitation, 16 (1.2%) contacted the cessation program for assistance. Three questions at initial consult and follow-up generated over 98% of referrals. Tobacco assessment frequency every 4 weeks delayed referral in < 1% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: An automated electronic health record-based tobacco assessment and cessation referral program can identify substantial numbers of smokers who are receptive to enrollment in a cessation support service.

The influence of nursing leadership on nurse performance: a systematic literature review.

AIM: The aim was to explore leadership factors that influence nurse performance and particularly, the role that nursing leadership behaviors play in nurses' perceptions of performance motivation. BACKGROUND: Nurse performance is vital to quality patient care outcomes and nursing leadership behaviors have been linked to nurse performance. EVALUATIONS: A review of research articles that examined the factors that nurses perceived as influencing their motivation and performance was conducted. Eight studies were included in the final analysis. KEY ISSUES: Nurses' perceptions of factors that affect their motivation and ability to perform were grouped into five categories using content analysis: autonomy, work relationships, resource accessibility, nurse factors, and leadership practices. Nursing leadership behaviors were found to influence both nurses' motivations directly and indirectly via other factors. CONCLUSION: The review suggests that nurse performance may be improved by addressing nurse autonomy, relationships among nurses, their colleagues and leaders, and resource accessibility. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nursing managers and leaders may enhance their nurses' performance by understanding and addressing the factors that affect their ability and motivation to perform.

Barriers to the optimal rehabilitation of surgical cancer patients in the managed care environment: an administrator's perspective.

Ensuring that surgical cancer patients obtain optimal rehabilitation care (defined here as all care provided post-operatively following cancer surgery) can be challenging because of the fragmented nature of the U.S. healthcare delivery and payment systems. In the managed care environment, surgical cancer patients' access to rehabilitation care is likely to vary by type of health insurance plan, by setting, by type of provider, and by whether care is provided in-network or out-of-network. The author of this article, who negotiates managed care contracts for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), gives examples of strategies used with some success by RPCI to collaborate with local payers to ensure that surgical cancer patients get optimal rehabilitation care, especially as they make the transition from hospital to outpatient care. She suggests that further collaborations of healthcare providers, payers, consumers, and policymakers are needed to help ensure optimal rehabilitation care for surgical cancer patients.