Pallara. Camino del aprendizaje

Overview

About this service: The nursing team comprises of 257 nursing staff, providing quality nursing care across the Clinical Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, the Departments of Medical Oncology, the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Queensland haemophilia Centre. The growing demand of cancer care has presented a challenge for the nursing profession in its workload, workforce issues, and most importantly the need to provide innovative and cost-effective nursing care. Cancer nurses play an important and unique role in responding to the needs of people affected by cancer throughout the continuum of care, from prevention to survivorship, end-of-life care and bereavement. The nursing research team was established in 2008 to provide an infrastructure for research and innovation and to ensure that our nursing care is work-class. The team is involved in national and international supportive cancer care research including a number of NHMRC funded projects. In 2013, the Cancer Nursing Professorial Precinct was established, which is a strategic initiative of Cancer Care Services, RBWH and the School of Nursing, QUT. Throughout our strong collaboration with QUT and other research partners, the precinct seeks to further improve outcomes for people affected by cancer through high quality clinical research and the delivery of evidence-based nursing care.

Highlights of 2014: The highlight of 2014 was the Cancer Care nursing group receiving the Queensland Government Premier Award for Excellence in Leadership. This was one of a number of awards recognising the valuable research conducted in Cancer Care by nurses. During the year, several nurses commenced high degree research courses and were awarded competitive scholarships. Other highlights include the commencement or continuation of a number of multidisciplinary, nurse-led studies in Cancer Care including the Central venous cAtheter SeCurement And Dressing Evaluation: The CASCADE Trial and the Younger Women’s Wellness After Cancer Program. Benefits for clinical practice: Cancer Care nurses at the RBWH are involved in research in a range of areas including intravenous access devices, prevention of blood stream infections, symptom management, survivorship care and palliative care. Additionally, Cancer Care Services has a strong culture of nurses pursuing post-graduate study and high degree research enabling excellence in delivery of nursing care. Each research project is patient-centred and seeks to improve the care of patients in clinical practice and foster an environment of excellence. An example of the impact of Cancer Care nursing research on clinical is the publication of findings of the Moogoo Trial in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. This publication has directly informed care of cancer patients who develop distressing skin reactions as a side effect of their radiation treatment.

Gillian Nasato

Acting Nursing Director Cancer Care Services

Research staff

Name Qualifications Position Interests/specialities

Dr Raymond Chan RN, BN, MAppSc, PhD, FACN Nurse Researcher and Deputy Director Research; Senior Research Fellow, QUT; Adjunct Associated Professor, Griffith University

Health services research/ symptom management/palliative care/ survivorship cancer care/ vascular access

Elise Button RN, BN, MAP(Hons) Clinical Nurse (Research) Palliative care/Late effects/Post

treatment complications

Peter Hancock RN, BN, MN(Cancer Nursing) Clinical Nurse (Research) Vascular access

Sarah Northfield RN, BN, GradCert(Cancer Nursing) Clinical Nurse (Research) Vascular access/palliative care

Alison Thomas RN, BN Registered Nurse Survivorship care

Supervised post-graduate research students

Name Current studies Research topic

Button, E. PhD Identification of palliative care needs in patients with a haematological malignancy Flynn, J. Master of Advanced Practice Sterile versus aseptic non-touch technique for bung changes

Gavin, N. PhD The effect of parenteral nutrition on microbial growth and its influence on catheter- related bloods stream infections in patients with a central venous access device Larsen, E. Graduate Diploma of Health

Care Research

The Patient experience of peripheral IV iNsertion within a tertiary Hospital setting: The PINcH Study

Name Current studies Research topic Northfield, S. Master of Applied Science

(Research)

Identifying the factors that influence the referral decision-making process when considering specialist palliative care services for hospitalised patients with advanced cancer

Savage, K. Master of Applied Science (Research)

Palliative care education for nurses caring for patients with a haematological malignancy

Awards and achievements

Award Event Recipient

Adem Crosby Haematology Nursing Award Leukaemia Foundation Button, E.

Best Clinical Research Paper 2014 Cancer Nurses Society of Australia Annual Congress Chan, R. Cecilia Brazil Nursing Research Award

2014

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Chan, R. Highly Commended Griffith University Health Group Three Minute Thesis Gavin, N. NHMRC Health Professional Research

Fellowship

NHMRC Chan, R.

Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year 2014

Queensland University of Technology Chan, R. Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award 2014 Queensland University of Technology Chan, R. PhD Scholarship NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence for End of Life Care Button, E.

PhD Scholarship RBWH Foundation Button, E.

PhD Scholarship NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Nursing Gavin, N.

PhD Scholarship RBWH Foundation Gavin, N.

Queensland Government Premier Award- Excellence in Leadership

Queensland Government Premier Award Geary, A., Chan, R., Yates, P. Rhoads Research Foundation American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Gavin, N.

Queensland Government Premier Award- Excellence in Leadership

Queensland Government Premier Award Geary, A., Chan, R., Yates, P.

Post-doctoral Fellowship RBWH Foundation Chan, R.

Research grants

Investigators

RBWH staff; bold, this department Project title Granting body and _scheme Amount _{awarded (years)} Anderson, D., Yates, P., McCarthy,

A., Chan, R., Turner, J., Seib, C.,

Tjondronegoro, D.

Younger women’s wellness after cancer program RBWH Foundation $90,000 (2014-2015) Button, E. Predictors of haematology and Bone Marrow

Transplant patients nearing the end of life

NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence for End of Life Care

$106,176 (2014-2016)

Chan, R., Russell, E., Marsh, N.,

Allworth, A., Atkinson, T., Gavin, N., Flynn, J., Keogh, S., Rickard, C.

Central venous catheter Securement and Dressing Evaluation: The CASCADE Trial

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation

$40,000 (2014)

Research grants

Investigators

RBWH staff; bold, this department Project title Granting body and _scheme Amount _{awarded (years)}

Chan, R. Development and evaluation of a tailored fatigue self-management behavioural intervention for patients with advanced cancer.

NHMRC $155,298

(2014-2017)

Chan, R. Development and evaluation of a tailored fatigue self-management behavioural intervention for patients with advanced cancer

RBWH Foundation $44,426 (2014) Choudhury, M., Rickard, C.,

McMillan, D., Chan, R.,

CHEERS: the CHlorhExidinE ReSistance Study. Griffith Health Institute $14,000 (2014-2015) Gavin, N. The effect of parenteral nutrition on microbial

growth and its influence on catheter-related bloods stream infections in patients with a central venous access device

NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Nursing $96,000 (2012-2014) McMillan, D., Choudhury, M., Rickard, C., Chan, R.

Emergence of Chlorhexidine Tolerance in Bacteria associated with Catheter Related Infections

University of Sunshine Coast

$10,000 (2014-2015) Mollee, P., Kennedy, G., Looke, D.,

Van Kulenburg, A., Geary, A.

Catheter-associated bloodstream infections in adults with cancer: a prospective randomised controlled trial.

NHMRC Project $86,658

(2012-2014) Rickard, C., Webster, J., Young J.,

McMillan, D., Fraser, J., Chan, R.

The RSVP Trial: Replacement of Intravascular device administration sets after Standard Versus Prolonged use.

NHMRC Project $1,555,000

(2011-2014) Turner, J., Yates, P., Kenny,

L., Gordon, L., Burmeister, B., Thomson, D., Hughes, B., McCarthy, A., Perry, C., Chan, R.

Improving quality of life in high-risk cancer populations: a randomised trial of a structured intervention for head and neck cancer survivors.

NHMRC Project $476,074

(2013-2016)

Wallace, A., Downs, E., Yates, P., Chan, R.

Provision of Survivorship Care for patients with a haematological malignant at completion of treatment: a single centre study and an Australian national study.

RBWH Foundation $500 (2014)