11 / 18
allied
academies
Page 35
Notes:
April 15-16, 2019 | Frankfurt, Germany
Oncology Nursing and Cancer Care
16
th
International Conference on
Journal of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics | Volume 4
Cancer rehabilitation – Exploring the views of nursing staff on referring patients for
exercise
Mandy Trickett
St Andrews Hospital, UK
A
growing body of evidence indicates the benefits
of exercise for cancer patients but little is known
about the beliefs and perceptions of nursing staff
from oncology which influence their decisions to
refer patients with advanced disease for exercise.
Loss of ability to manage daily activities and
deterioration in physical function can be a significant
problem and can be a source of distress for patients
with advanced disease. Consequently, exercise is
increasingly recognised as relevant at all stages
of the care pathway. However, prior to referral to
palliative care, not all patients have received advice
about exercise and this appears based on patient
diagnosis; not need. Given the exploratory nature of
the study and limited evidence base, qualitative data
was collected using semi-structured interviews from
a purposive sample of eight clinical nurse specialists
from two different specialties. Analysis was carried
out using thematic analysis and interpreted using
Leventhal’s Common SenseModel of Self-Regulation
of Health and Illness. All the participants were aware
of the evidence base to support their referral of
patients to exercise interventions and were positive
towards this for both advanced COPD and advanced
cancer patients. However, the findings indicated that
different and often opposite barriers and facilitators
to referral were evident between the nursing groups.
There appeared to be certainty about referral within
the COPD nurses group and often uncertainty within
the oncology group. Consequently, almost all COPD
patients receive repeated referral for exercise but
still many cancer patients are reported to receive
none. The identification of factors which influence
nurses’ decisions to refer patients for exercise
appears strongly linked to the current service
infrastructure in place. These findings may inform
new initiatives aimed at improving access to all
patients with advanced disease to receive support
and advice to exercise based on their need and not
diagnosis.
e
:
mandy.trickettphysio@gmail.com