Nurse

The nurse who prepares or educates the patient who will be receiving chemotherapy sets the tone for the patient and his experience regarding his initial chemotherapy experience and his chemotherapy course of treatment.

It is important to discuss the side effects of chemotherapy, the chemotherapy protocol, and how the body responds to chemotherapy, the importance of blood test, laboratory tests, diet, exercise and taking your temperature. The patient should be made aware that his team of healthcare professionals will be monitoring him to see how he is feeling and if he is showing any side effects from his chemotherapy treatment.

The patient should be encouraged and know if he has any questions or appears to have any side effects from the chemotherapy at home or on the outside the chemotherapy setting to call and to speak to someone regarding his care.

I always say never assume that a simple nosebleed, is a simple nosebleed. One must speak to a healthcare professional on his team regarding possible side effects.

Furthermore, the nurse should inquire if the patient lives alone, what support systems are in place? What type of work does he do and how will chemotherapy affect his quality of life.

Here are some frequent questions that patients have asked me before they started chemotherapy.
1. What is chemotherapy?
2. Will this chemotherapy work with my cancer? Will it cure me?
3. Am I going to die?
4. How did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me?

I have found the first few questions from patients are more emotional questions. Because the patients are concerned about survival and what will be the outcome.

After I address these emotional concerns about their disease process, then other questions come up:
How long is the course of my chemotherapy therapy?
What are the side effects of the medications?
What will you give me for me nausea?
What can I eat or cannot eat during my chemotherapy day or after?
Does my hair fall out? When will my hair start to fall out?
How long does the infusion chemotherapy take?
What oral chemotherapy do I take? How is that different from an infusion?
What are pre-treatments?
What do I have to do the day before chemotherapy or after my chemotherapy treatment?
Does anything happen while I am receiving chemotherapy?
What do I need to bring to my appointment?
Will my treatment be painful?
Where will I have my treatment?
What will happen when I arrive for my chemotherapy?

At this time the nurse should check to see how well the veins could be access for chemotherapy administration. Perhaps the patient does not have good access and may need to have a port put in place.

Other information that should be included regarding chemotherapy education is:

- Sexuality
- Methods of adherence regarding chemotherapy and medications that are part of the chemotherapy protocol.
- Check to see if the proper test are ordered before the patient under goes chemotherapy
- Know that the patient or their family most likely has been seeking information pertaining to the chemotherapy and the cancer disease process though social media. The nurse who prepares or educates the patient who will be receiving chemotherapy sets the tone for the patient and his experience regarding his initial chemotherapy experience and his chemotherapy course of treatment.

It is important to discuss the side effects of chemotherapy, the chemotherapy protocol, and how the body responds to chemotherapy, the importance of blood test, laboratory tests, diet, exercise and taking your temperature. The patient should be made aware that his team of healthcare professionals will be monitoring him to see how he is feeling and if he is showing any side effects from his chemotherapy treatment.

The patient should be encouraged and know if he has any questions or appears to have any side effects from the chemotherapy at home or on the outside the chemotherapy setting to call and to speak to someone regarding his care.

I always say never assume that a simple nosebleed, is a simple nosebleed. One must speak to a healthcare professional on his team regarding possible side effects.

Furthermore, the nurse should inquire if the patient lives alone, what support systems are in place? What type of work does he do and how will chemotherapy affect his quality of life.

Here are some frequent questions that patients have asked me before they started chemotherapy.
1. What is chemotherapy?
2. Will this chemotherapy work with my cancer? Will it cure me?
3. Am I going to die?
4. How did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me?

I have found the first few questions from patients are more emotional questions. Because the patients are concerned about survival and what will be the outcome.

After I address these emotional concerns about their disease process, then other questions come up:
How long is the course of my chemotherapy therapy?
What are the side effects of the medications?
What will you give me for me nausea?
What can I eat or cannot eat during my chemotherapy day or after?
Does my hair fall out? When will my hair start to fall out?
How long does the infusion chemotherapy take?
What oral chemotherapy do I take? How is that different from an infusion?
What are pre-treatments?
What do I have to do the day before chemotherapy or after my chemotherapy treatment?
Does anything happen while I am receiving chemotherapy?
What do I need to bring to my appointment?
Will my treatment be painful?
Where will I have my treatment?
What will happen when I arrive for my chemotherapy?

At this time the nurse should check to see how well the veins could be access for chemotherapy administration. Perhaps the patient does not have good access and may need to have a port put in place.

Other information that should be included regarding chemotherapy education is:

- Sexuality
- Methods of adherence regarding chemotherapy and medications that are part of the chemotherapy protocol.
- Check to see if the proper test are ordered before the patient under goes chemotherapy
- Know that the patient or their family most likely has been seeking information pertaining to the chemotherapy and the cancer disease process though social media.

Before any chemotherapy treatment a nurse must discussed with a patient potential complications that may occur when receiving an infusion. The nurse must do it in a manner that it is not alarming to the patient, but the patient is aware that they must seek the nurse’s attention if something should occur.

I tell my patients, if they feel different while they are receiving the infusion, they must tell someone, before the infusion progresses. Do not assume that the feelings that they are having are normal. Let the nurse make the nursing judgment.

I explain to my patient’s if they feel:
• Uneasiness or agitation
• Abdominal cramping
• Itching
• Chest tightness
• Light headed or dizziness’
• Chills
• Back pain
• Face turning red-flushed
• Nausea
• Difficulty speaking
• Burning or an uncomfortable feeling at the infusion site.

During the infusion, the nurse also must observe and ask the patient “How are you feeling?” while they are receiving the chemotherapy for potential reactions to the chemotherapy infusion as well.
Before any chemotherapy treatment a nurse must discussed with a patient potential complications that may occur when receiving an infusion. The nurse must do it in a manner that it is not alarming to the patient, but the patient is aware that they must seek the nurse’s attention if something should occur.

I tell my patients, if they feel different while they are receiving the infusion, they must tell someone, before the infusion progresses. Do not assume that the feelings that they are having are normal. Let the nurse make the nursing judgment.

I explain to my patient’s if they feel:
• Uneasiness or agitation
• Abdominal cramping
• Itching
• Chest tightness
• Light headed or dizziness’
• Chills
• Back pain
• Face turning red-flushed
• Nausea
• Difficulty speaking
• Burning or an uncomfortable feeling at the infusion site.

During the infusion, the nurse also must observe and ask the patient “How are you feeling?” while they are receiving the chemotherapy for potential reactions to the chemotherapy infusion as well.

Discussing with my colleagues, the answer was always the same. “Never assume”, there are certain protocols that you must always maintain regarding the administration of chemotherapy or radiation.

1. Ask the patient his first and last name, birthday and make sure that it is correct on all orders.
2. Know the patient’s allergies and medical history
3. Inform the patient the side effects of the medications that they will be receiving or radiation.
4. Check the order for time, date, clear meaning of what is written, is the order appropriate to that patient and who wrote the order.
5. Check the BSA and the calculations to the order that is written.
6. Know the correct name of the chemotherapy agent that you will be administering to the patient.
7. Know what proper route, dose and quantity that you will be administering to the patient.
8. Know the side effects of the medications.
9. Check the Intra venous site to see good access, blood returned and patency.
10. Instruct the patient to what they are supposed to feel while the patient is receiving chemotherapy or radiation.
11. If you have any questions regarding what you are administering always ask before you administer. Never assume. Discussing with my colleagues, the answer was always the same. “Never assume”, there are certain protocols that you must always maintain regarding the administration of chemotherapy or radiation.

1. Ask the patient his first and last name, birthday and make sure that it is correct on all orders.
2. Know the patient’s allergies and medical history
3. Inform the patient the side effects of the medications that they will be receiving or radiation.
4. Check the order for time, date, clear meaning of what is written, is the order appropriate to that patient and who wrote the order.
5. Check the BSA and the calculations to the order that is written.
6. Know the correct name of the chemotherapy agent that you will be administering to the patient.
7. Know what proper route, dose and quantity that you will be administering to the patient.
8. Know the side effects of the medications.
9. Check the Intra venous site to see good access, blood returned and patency.
10. Instruct the patient to what they are supposed to feel while the patient is receiving chemotherapy or radiation.
11. If you have any questions regarding what you are administering always ask before you administer. Never assume.