Skeletal Health Part 2: Development of a Nurse Practitioner Bone Support Clinic for Urologic Patients

Abstract

Part 1 of this article highlighted the potential negative effects of cancer on the skeleton and provided an overview of available treatment options. Part 2 presents a nurse practitioner-led Bone Support Clinic, which was developed for patients with cancer-induced bone disease and cancer therapy-induced bone loss. This clinic, started in 2011 in a university medical center urology/oncology outpatient center in London, England, United Kingdom, has been a collaborative effort among a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses. Patients have responded positively to the improved continuity of care, and we have been able to assess and treat impending skeletal-related events in a more timely manner The needs of our patient population and problems with the existing service are reviewed, and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to these problems is discussed. Initiation of a nurse practitioner-led Bone Support Clinic and the impact of timely response to the effects of cancer and cancer therapies on the skeletal system are outlined and offered as a model.