Balancing health care needs in a changing context: nursing highlights from the 2016 European Oncology Nursing Society Congress (EONS10), 17-18 October 2016, Dublin, Ireland.

Danuta Lichosik,Rosario Caruso

doi:10.3332/ecancer.2017.710

Abstract

European cancer nurses have to face many challenges as a result of the rapidly changing economic and political context in which balancing health care needs has become strategic for healthcare delivery. Currently, cancer nurses must overcome many obstacles arising from clinical, organisational, and educational issues. Within this scenario, the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) shaped its tenth congress programme to boost discussion and reflections, to share experiences and research, and to see how cancer nurses try to anticipate and embrace changes. The aim of this was to promote innovative solutions and to address the many issues involved with cancer care.EONS10 was held on 17–18 October in Dublin, Ireland. The congress was attended by more than 500 delegates. The programme covered the following themes: caring for families and carers, inequalities and access to cancer care, caring for patients with haematological cancers, palliative care, communication and information exchange, community cancer care (i.e. parallel sessions), roles and responsibility for advanced nursing practice, International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS)-Academy workshops (i.e. workshops), cancer survivorship, clinical leadership and new roles, oncology nursing research, symptom experiences and management, palliative care (i.e. proffered papers), poster presentations, and satellite symposia. The aim of this paper is to highlight and discuss the contents of the EONS10 congress.

Highlights

The context in which cancer nurses work in Europe is rapidly changing, considering the challenges brought about by demographic changes, treatment innovations and complexity, the need to deliver care for cancer patients, for their families and survivors, issues related to the nursing workforce, competencies [1], and the political climate
EONS10 was held on 17–18 October in Dublin (Ireland), and it was attended by more than 500 delegates
This provided a unique opportunity to share ideas, present research findings, and to debate the main issues related to cancer nursing practice and innovations

Summary

Introduction

The context in which cancer nurses work in Europe is rapidly changing, considering the challenges brought about by demographic changes (i.e. ageing population), treatment innovations and complexity, the need to deliver care for cancer patients, for their families and survivors, issues related to the nursing workforce, competencies [1], and the political climate. EONS10 was held on 17–18 October in Dublin (Ireland), and it was attended by more than 500 delegates This provided a unique opportunity to share ideas, present research findings, and to debate the main issues related to cancer nursing practice and innovations. Cancer nurses and other key members of multi-professional teams discussed here the care needs of patients, their families, and the challenges nurses have to face in order to deliver care in a fast-changing world This is significant in a field where innovation develops quickly in every nuance of clinical practice such as cancer care. EONS10 was a unique occasion to thoroughly understand the importance of roles within the nursing workforce given the increasing number of cancer patients and therapeutic options available This all involves providing education and supportive care to patients and their families by them

Objectives

Conclusion