A Vanguard Approach to the Design and Delivery of Nurse-Led Survivorship Care

Abstract

ObjectivesSurvivorship care is an essential component of quality cancer care. Although nurses are uniquely positioned to deliver effective and efficient nurse-led survivorship care, they report that their experiences of survivorship care provision are fragmented, under-resourced, and often distressing for the patient. Data SourcesHere we report the culmination of a 4-year program of research and more than a decade of nurse-led work, to improve the survivorship care experience for men with prostate cancer comprising of: (1) the evolution of a national specialist prostate cancer nursing service; (2) a nursing Delphi study to determine prostate cancer survivorship care experiences and priorities; (3) the development of the Prostate Cancer Survivorship Essentials Framework, which provides a road map for improving quality prostate cancer survivorship care across a variety of settings; and (4) the translation of the framework into nursing practice through the development of My Personal Plan, a person-centered, evidence-informed survivorship care plan. ConclusionThrough the leadership of a national prostate cancer specialist nursing service, the provision of a coordinated, evidence-informed person-centered survivorship care service is now achievable. This program of work has demonstrated that irrespective of the setting or mode of delivery, specialist nurses involved in the care of men with prostate cancer and their families are leading best practice through the translation of evidence into everyday clinical practice. Implications for Nursing PracticeThere is an urgent need to address the significant challenges that a prostate cancer diagnosis can bring, and nurses are at the forefront and lead survivorship care delivery, which includes: (1) routine distress screening and referral to tailored evidence-based psychological care; (2) the provision of person-centered care that connects to effective symptom management; (3) self-management support; and (4) signposting to additional services which extend beyond the acute care setting.