What matters to the patient is what really matters: quality in oncology nursing.

Reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the Oncology Nursing Society led me to recall my own 30-plus years in nursing and how, as a new graduate nurse, almost all oncology care was delivered in the inpatient setting. In my first few years of practice, I mixed my patients' chemotherapy in a medicine room without a ventilated hood and administered those medications without personal protective equipment or the independent RN double checks that have become standard to safe practice today. Through advances in science, tools are now in place to test and make changes, measure impact, and sustain improvements over time. Through advancements in nursing science and oncology research, the ability to treat and cure many cancers and to manage the symptoms and side effects of treatment has improved. Those improvements extend survival; enhance quality of life; and keep patients, staff, and practice environments safer than ever before. In addition, the human side of care has advanced with respect to the quality of interactions with patients and families. Some call this the art of nursing. I call it the essence of our practice. Increasingly, nurses are able to name specific interventions, measure impact, and document outcomes of this so-called art. It is to this human side of our practice that I dedicate this column.
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