Nurses Collaborate Across Oncology Departments to Address Fractured Care

A team of oncology nurses at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center in California recognized that patient care was hindered by inconsistent communication between departments and weak collaboration among providers. To address this problem, they conducted an analysis of patient feedback and then initiated regular meetings to improve patients' oncology care experiences through a collaborative approach, Oncology Nurse Advisor reports.

In a poster presentation from Torrance’s Miriam Sleven at the National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators Conference in Atlanta, she outlined how the team addressed the fragmented care that was occurring across settings at their facility.

Nurses representing clinical, administrative, inpatient oncology, outpatient infusion, palliative care, and radiation oncology departments, as well as the Breast Diagnostic Center, and the Cancer Resource Center, met monthly and discussed projects they were working on to improve cancer services from the planning to the evaluation stage. During the meetings, the nurses identified issues and projects that spanned the scope of oncology nursing practice and the patient experience.

The meetings were successful, leading to improved communication between all oncology nurses, and improved patient experience, reports Oncology Nurse Advisor.