Collaboration Between Oncology Social Workers and Nurses: A Patient-Centered Interdisciplinary Model of Bladder Cancer Care.

OBJECTIVES: We propose a bladder cancer patient-centered, interdisciplinary collaboration model of care adapted from an earlier model by Black, Dornan, and Allegrante (1986). The Bladder Patient-Centered Interdisciplinary Team (BPIT) model provides a conceptual foundation for assembling interdisciplinary teams and emphasizes the patient as an active participant in treatment and member of the care team, along with oncology nurses, wound ostomy and continence nurses, and oncology social workers. DATA SOURCES: This model integrates scopes of practice and practice standards from nursing and social work professional organizations, findings from peer-reviewed articles, and expert clinical opinion in conceptualizing interdisciplinary bladder cancer care. CONCLUSION: BPIT is not meant to be an exhaustive or proscriptive catalog of roles and responsibilities. Future research is needed in this area to further refine and delineate the oncology social worker and nursing scopes of practice and standards for collaborative teamwork. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The unmet supportive care needs of patients with bladder cancer across all phases of the cancer continuum are well documented. Oncology and wound ostomy and continence nurses are of critical importance to holistically addressing these needs and enhancing the health-related quality of life. The BPIT model provides a broad overview of the discipline-specific and interdisciplinary team-specific roles and responsibilities for bladder cancer care.

Improving couples' quality of life through a Web-based prostate cancer education intervention

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed web-based, couple-oriented intervention called Prostate Cancer Education and Resources for Couples (PERC). DESIGN: Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods approach. SETTING: Oncology outpatient clinics at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC­Chapel Hill. SAMPLE: 26 patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa) and their partners. METHODS: Pre- and postpilot quantitative assessments and a postpilot qualitative interview were conducted. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: General and PCa-specific symptoms, quality of life, psychosocial factors, PERC's ease of use, and web activities. FINDINGS: Improvement was shown in some PCa-specific and general symptoms (small effect sizes for patients and small-to-medium effect sizes for partners), overall quality of life, and physical and social domains of quality of life for patients (small effect sizes). Web activity data indicated high PERC use. Qualitative and quantitative analyses indicated that participants found PERC easy to use and understand,as well as engaging, of high quality, and relevant. Overall, participants were satisfied with PERC and reported that PERC improved their knowledge about symptom management and communication as a couple. CONCLUSIONS: PERC was a feasible, acceptable method of reducing the side effects of PCa treatment­related symptoms and improving quality of life. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: PERC has the potential to reduce the negative impacts of symptoms and enhance quality of life for patients with localized PCa and their partners, particularly for those who live in rural areas and have limited access to post-treatment supportive care.