Nurses Succeeding in Bone Marrow Biopsy Program

A nurse-led bone marrow aspiration/biopsy program is providing evidence that the use of procedurists is good for patient outcomes and good for clinical practice, according to a presentation at the Oncology Nursing Society’s 40th Annual Congress in Orlando, Florida. The presentation was titled Multidisciplinary Development of a Bone Marrow Aspirate and Core Biopsy Performed by Registered Nurses.

This use of nurse procedurists in bone marrow biopsies “demonstrates an innovative partnership for clinical practice, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM),” said Daravan Kao of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The IOM’s landmark 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, states that nurses “should practice to the full extent of their education and should be full partners in the redesigning of health care delivery,” Kao continued.

Registered nurses who participated in the bone marrow program maintained a 98 percent score, as rated by pathologists, for the quality of the samples they collected. Furthermore, there were no reported incidences of post procedure complications, Oncology Nurse Advisor reports.

A multidisciplinary team developed and implemented the biopsy program, which included didactic training, technical skills acquisition, and ongoing quality assurance.