Nurse specialist led follow-up in lung cancer: The experience of developing and delivering a new model of care

Citation

Moore S, Wells M, Plant H, Fuller F, Wright M & Corner J (2006) Nurse specialist led follow-up in lung cancer: The experience of developing and delivering a new model of care. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 10 (5), pp. 364-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2006.01.007

Abstract
Data from an earlier paper reporting on a study comparing conventional medical follow-up with nurse specialist follow-up of patients with lung cancer demonstrated that follow-up by nurse specialists is safe, effective and can lead to greater levels of patient satisfaction. The process and experience of developing a nurse specialist role in lung cancer follow-up care has not yet been described. The aims of this paper are to describe the preparation and development of a model of nurse led follow-up care, identify key nursing interventions provided within nurse led follow-up care and provide insights into the experiences of nurse specialists providing follow-up care. Data were collected from nurse specialists' patient case-records and from meetings held with the study team. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the nurse specialists providing follow-up care and the study coordinators. The nature of the nursing role in lung cancer follow-up care is described. In addition, four themes relating to the process of developing a nurse led follow-up role are identified. These are: ‘training', ‘becoming credible', ‘emotional burden' and ‘making a difference'. Managing follow-up care for patients with lung cancer can be rewarding for nurse specialists. However, it can also be emotionally demanding. Training and support for such roles is vital and requires further in-depth research.

Keywords
lung cancer; nursing roles

Journal
European Journal of Oncology Nursing: Volume 10, Issue 5

People

Professor Mary Wells

Honorary Professor, NMAHP