Chapter Connections 19 Years of Excellence 1995-2014 O F F I C E R S : President: Heather Laurent president@onsfoxvalley.org President Elect: Susan Hunt presidentelect@onsfoxvalley.org V O L U M E X X I I I S S U E I 1 N O R T H E R N F O X V A L L E Y C H A P T E R O F T H E O N C O L O G Y N U R S I N G S O C I E T Y RED FLAGS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: An OCN Resource By Therese Carpizo, RN, MSN, AOCN Secretary: Amy Hammond secretary@onsfoxvalley.org Treasurer: Pam Amatore treasurer@onsfoxvalley.org Directors at Large: Pat McLain, Mary Lou Sylwestrak, Kathryn McIntyre Dir-at-large@onsfoxvalley.org Membership: Debbie Hudoba membership@onsfoxvalley.org Programs: Pat Marks programs@onsfoxvalley.org Website: Marie Lindsay website@onsfoxvalley.og Nominating: Janet Wessermann nominating@onsfoxvalley.org Newsletter: Josie Smudde newsletter@onsfoxvalley.org I N S I D E Red Flags for Cancer Survivors Message from President Medication Reminders Apps 1,5 3 Book Review 6 Highlights on Members 4,5 7 Oncology nurses practicing in 2014 have no doubt interacted with many long term cancer survivors. Today there are 13.7 million cancer survivors in the U.S. and by 2022 that number is expected to grow to 18 million. While oncology nurses may view their primary role as assisting the patient diagnosed with cancer and the family in the treatment phase we all realize that caring for someone with cancer extends beyond the treatment phase. Indeed, the definition of cancer survivorship is the period from the time of diagnosis of cancer until the end of life. Whether employment as an oncology nurse is inpatient or outpatient, office or hospital, we need to plan for the ongoing care of our patients as they progress to the post treatment phase of their life. The ONS in conjunction with the Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation has developed a 61 page resource document which is available free on the ONS website, under the Practice Resource tab. The title is Red Flags for Cancer Survivors. It is an excellent resource providing information in an organized fashion for developing and implementing a care plan for each cancer survivor. While the patient may be looking forward to the end of treatment, the period of time post treatment can be anxiety filled as the patient transitions to a life without frequent doctor visits and interactions with their nurses. This time period is one where education of the patient for ongoing follow up and health care should be implemented. It involves monitoring for potential recurrences, dealing with long term side effects of therapy, surveillance for new cancers and life style activities that promote good nutrition, exercise and rest. Psychosocial well being is very important as the patient copes with fears of recurrence and adapting and recovering from whatever side effects that occurred with treatment. The red flags identified in the title of refers to situations or symptoms needing further investigation and follow up. If a patient is no longer seeing an oncologist the primary care physician needs to be vigilant about follow up of symptoms that may point to a recurrence and refer the patient back to the oncologist. Suspicious symptoms are back pain, (continued on page 5)
P A G E 2 Stay Connected! Stay in Touch via our Web Site! Sign up to receive: e-mail messages of announcements and events by sending an e-mail message to website@onsfoxvalley.org. Send announcements about interesting oncology-related news, job postings and events by sending an e -mail message to website@onsfoxvalley.org (it will be posted on the web site for you.) Reminder about Scholarships Scholarships provide great learning opportunities to further your education The Northern Fox Valley Chapter is pleased to offer two grants up to $500 each to chapter members seeking financial support for education. The purpose of the grant is to reward a Professional Registered Nurse who has demonstrated commitment to the chapter and meritorious achievement in oncology nursing at the local or institutional level. Applicants will be selfnominated and may only receive the award once. Application information is available on the chapter s home page at: http:// northernfoxval.vc.ons.org/1879951 (It is under Home, drop down, funding request.) ONS also provides many scholarships for furthering your education, attending ONS Congress. Also available is the Sandy Purl Mentorship Scholarship. Check out onsfoundation.org for further information. From the Editor During nurses week May 2014 I had the honor of receiving an award Nurse of the Year at Northwest Community Hospital. Juli Aistars APN pictured on the right was also awarded that day as APN of the year. She is the Prostate and Lung Nurse Navigator and works with patients to quit smoking and also facilitates the CT Lung Screening Program. We were both touched and surprised to be selected, as we both work very hard to advocate for our oncology patients as all our peers. It was nice to get this award after 43 years of being a nurse towards the end of my career however I am not ready to leave yet! I want to thank our contributors in this issue. Therese Carpizo did a great article on red flags for cancer survivors. See Pat Marks interesting story in Highlight on Members. And Marie Lindsey did a book review. Check out the article on using apps for medication reminders. Any ideas for the newsletter please email me at: jsmudde@nch.org C H A P T E R C O N N E C T I O N S
V O L U M E X X I I I S S U E I 1 P A G E 3 Message from your Chapter President Happy Summer to everyone!!! I was very pleased with the turnout at our annual vendor fair: over 60 attendees and 30 vendors. Great job to MaryAnn Daehler for planning such a successful event!! Susan Hunt, our President- Elect, attended the Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh this past weekend and I am very excited to hear about her experience and new things coming from nationals. As always, I urge every one of our members to consider becoming a board member. It is a fabulous way to learn how the organization works and to become an integral part of planning all of our events. For sure, we will need a President-Elect (I promise it is not a difficult job!) I ve done it while starting a new job and having two small children at home! We also need a director at large and seeking a co-chair for Programs. This position can be time consuming, but if two people work at it, it becomes much more manageable. If any other positions are of interest to you, please discuss it with me or other board members. We are always willing to mentor those nurses who are interested in taking on a more active role in the organization. Two quotes about leadership (maybe it will spark some interest in some of you!): Leadership is unlocking people s potential to become better Bill Brady Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality Warren Bennis Please feel free to contact me throughout the year at president@foxvalleyons.org Best regards, Heather Laurent RN, OCN Upcoming Events Next chapter meeting: August 19, 2014 6:15pm Lung Cancer September 16, 2014 6:15pm Dosimetry Details October 21, 2014 6:15pm Survivorship Program Please rsvp to each meeting rsvp@onsfoxvalley.org This chapter meets on the third Tuesday of the month, March to November. Dinner is provided. Visit the web site calendar to get all the details (description, date, time, location, map) about our chapter meetings and the continuing education programs, at http:// northernfoxval.vc.ons.org/
P A G E 4 Medication Reminder Apps in Smartphones by Josephine Smudde RN, BC, MS, OCN As of July 2014 there are approximately 180 medication reminder applications for smart phones, with 107 of them free to download thru Apple app store on I phone or Google play on Android devices. The cost of the remaining apps, ranges from $.99 to $3.99. Most of them have been developed, since 2009 with updated versions and bug fixes. Most are not rated, but some of the more common apps that are listed first as you search in the app store, have ratings of greater than or equal to 4 on a 5 point scale. A few are limited to a diagnosis specific condition such as diabetes, HIV or for birth control pills. Some are specific to health care organizations such as Kaiser and you need to be a patient of their system to use the app. Most are general medication reminders with various features. An example would be RxmindMe Prescription which is free, developed by Walgreens, has been active since 2010 and has the ability to refill your prescription in the app. It is also connected to the FDA drug database for information. Some of the features available on various apps include: Snooze feature An actual photo of the pill to help with identification, or the pill can be identified if the patient puts in shape, color and imprinted text. Logs that can be emailed to health care providers A password system for security Ability to identify drug interactions when all medications are listed Ability to identify overdose or if too much medication is taken in a time period Ability to list side effects Can be used for more than one person, for example: a caregiver responsible for another family member s medication beside their own. Contain excellent graphics, photos, and visual images Allow for various methods of notification, with a variety of sounds, text messages, and or a notice posted on smartphone s screensaver page Ability to include health records, vital sign measurements, activity record, etc. Ability to track other health or non-health tasks or appointments with reminders Refill reminders Instructional videos Tell another responsible party if person does not take their medication Symptom checkers Demonstrate graphs of adherence, percentages continued on page 5 C H A P T E R C O N N E C T I O N S
P A G E 5 RED FLAGS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: An OCN Resource By Therese Carpizo, RN, MSN, AOCN continued from page 1 continuing pain, headaches, new masses, abdominal pain or fullness, weight loss, anorexia, shortness of breath, bleeding and skin changes. These symptoms may represent metastasis. Psychosocial issues including depression and feelings of social stigma must be assessed in each cancer survivor. How the patient reintegrates back into the mainstream of health is important and we need to be sensitive to the patient s need at this time. Adjustments to sexual activity may be needed. There are resources to assist patients with body image changes, sexual function and reproductive issues. Cancer treatment centers need to have a cancer survivorship program in place to assist all current and future cancer patients. This publication should be printed and available for all staff to use as they provide comprehensive care. Hopefully there is an oncology nurse in a leadership position who can effectively collaborate with other staff in providing an organized and thoughtful approach to caring for cancer survivors. Editor: Thanks Therese for reminding us of OCN resources! Medication Reminder Apps in Smartphones by Josephine Smudde RN, BC, MS, OCN Continued from Page 4 Some were created as the result of patient safety projects: Medisafe. A newer app, CareZone Cancer, is for cancer patients, has medication management, but has also other features including journaling and notifying others of a patient s status. Some doctors have reported better medication adherence with smart phone apps that have medication reminders but there has not been large randomized studies to study the effectiveness of these applications. There is also the cost of the smart phone itself to purchase and the monthly usage fee. The application would need to be personalized to the individual s life style and ability to understand it s use to determine which one to use and what features would be best to help with adherence.
P A G E 6 Book Review: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddartha Mukherjee By Marie Lindsay At first glance, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is daunting, with its 470 pages and 100 pages of footnotes. But there is a reason why Siddartha Mukherjee won a Pulitzer Prize for this work: It is very readable, engaging, and enlightening, probably especially so for oncology nurses and others who think about cancer every day. Mukherjee starts by telling the story of one of his patients, a woman who became more and more tired but didn t take the time to go for a checkup; when she finally had a blood test, she had so few red blood cells that her blood was not red. Mukherjee then weaves the stories of many other patients, researchers, physicians, politicians, and cancer itself into a biography. He doesn t just focus on the disease and its treatment; he shows how cancer was first described in ancient times, its first treatments, and the long road of discoveries, successes, failures, fundraising efforts, political maneuverings, and more that have led to the understanding we have of cancer today. He explains things like how the efforts of a New York socialite had a huge impact on cancer research; he also explains the workings of cancer cells and the way that treatments work in a way that a layperson can understand and an oncologist can appreciate. As I read the book, I had many ah hah moments, realizing why things are called what they are, why patients have the side effects they do to medications, why treatments work well for some and not for others. Some of it reinforced things we have all learned, and some of it was brand new for me. The book is not exactly light reading, but it is never dry and dull, and the many stories and personalities that Mukherjee relates are fascinating. Ken Burns, the creator of the popular documentaries The Civil War, The National Parks, Mark wain, and more, is working with Mukherjee to create a documentary based on the book, due to be released in the Spring. I can t wait to see it!
Highlights on Members P A G E 7 Pat is a wonderful example of how nursing, and especially oncology nursing gives one so many opportunities. The Northern Fox valley chapter has been so blessed to have Pat join our group as she has assisted with getting our current meeting place at the church and has worked so hard as program chair to make sure we have good speakers every month, with dinner and most importantly helping our members gain knowledge that members can apply to their work and get ceu s. Pat actually was a speaker at one of our meetings on adult education, one of her passions. It is nurses like Pat that keep our chapter going by volunteering her talents. She is an excellent role model. Pat Marks RN, BS,M.Ad,Ed Pat currently works two ten hour shifts per week at the infusion center at Good Shepherd Hospital. Surprisingly she also does a ten hour shift as a Parish nurse at her church. What she likes most is being able to help church members navigate the health care system especially those who have cancer. Another surprise is that she is a breast cancer survivor herself of 7 years and is willing to share that information with others in her many roles. She loves to give hope. Pat went to school at Harper college for her Associate degree and then on to NIU for her bachelors. She then got her masters in adult education from National Lewis. She has been in oncology 12 years but prior was in home health, a staff nurse, a manager, and worked in critical care and telemetry, mostly all at Good Shepherd. She states the challenge facing nurses today is stretching our resources and talents to complete the work that needs to be done. She states the other challenge is that outpatient patients are so very sick with high acuity and need that extra care, assessment, and intervention, i.e. a trip to the ER! Pat s fun hobbies are quilting and walking and she has a husband and two boys. Oncology nurses get to know their patients one on one. Even if the patient dies we come away a better person from getting to know them Interview by Josie Smudde RN The Northern Fox Valley Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society has the following goals: Help meet the educational needs of professionals working in oncology. Provide opportunities for peer support, networking and socializing. Provide a forum which supports current advances in oncology clinical practice and research. Membership Full membership is open to any RN working in or interested in Oncology Nursing. Full membership is also open to interested nursing students who are enrolled full time in an RN program. Associate membership is open to other healthcare professionals including LPNs, Pharmacists, Physicians, Social Workers, and Pharmaceutical Representatives. In order to become a chapter member, one must be a member of the national ONS.