Benchmark – Nursing  Process: Approach to Care Assignment

NRS 410 Benchmark – Nursing Process: Approach to Care Assignment

Benchmark – Nursing Process Approach to Care Assignment

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Cancer is defined as abnormal cell growth that spreads to other parts of the body. The condition, which can affect any part of the body, is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and around the world, with an estimated 9.6 million deaths by the year 2018. (Bray et al., 2018). Furthermore, the condition has a high economic cost because it requires billions of dollars to manage. Cancer is not a single condition, but rather a collection of more than 100 types, each with its own set of signs and symptoms. The condition occurs when cells begin to grow excessively and overwhelm healthy cells, preventing normal cell formation from functioning properly.

Because each type of cancer manifests differently and has different symptoms, it is critical to provide patients with individualized treatment based on their cancer type and stage. Because this condition is often fatal for patients and their families, nurses should provide comprehensive patient care. The purpose of this paper is to investigate cancer by providing insights into diagnosis and staging, cancer complications, physical and psychological effects, annual incidences and mortality rates and contributing factors, how the American Cancer Society provides education and support to cancer patients, how the nursing process is applied in cancer patients, and how liberal arts and science studies enable nurses to care for patients while using the nursing process.

Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer

Cancer patients can be identified by physicians through screening or the patient’s presentation of specific symptoms. The doctor can determine the condition by asking about the patient’s family history. Furthermore, physical examinations of the genitalia, skin, and breasts can aid in the early detection of cancer. If the doctor suspects cancer, a blood test can be performed to check cancer markers, as well as various scans such as CT, MRI, bone, and PET scans to confirm cancer diagnosis. If a tumor is found, a biopsy can be performed to determine whether it is cancerous. Cancer staging is performed after testing and diagnosis confirm the presence of cancer.

Cancer. Net (2018) defines cancer staging as describing the location of the cancer, whether or not it has spread, and whether or not it is affecting other parts of the body. Diagnostic tests are used to determine the cancer stage. Identifying the cancer stage assists the physician in understanding the seriousness of the condition, advising on the best treatment approach, and identifying appropriate clinical trials to cure or manage the condition. The most widely used cancer staging system is the Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) method, which depicts cancer stages as follows;

T- Indicates the location, size, and extent of tumor in the nearby tissues.

N- Indicate the number of lymph nodes that possess cancer.

M-Indicates whether or not the cancer has spread to other areas in the body.

Moreover, the other staging system is categorization of cancer into four groups where the cancer can be described from stage 0 to stage IV (Cancer.Net, 2018).

            Stage 0

Here, the cancer is still located in the original place where it started and is yet to spread in nearby tissues.

            Stage I

This is an early-stage cancer phase that is characterized by a small cancer or tumor that is starting to grow in nearby tissues and is yet to spread in lymph nodes and the rest of the body.

            Stage II

Here the cancer or tumors have increased in size and grown deeply into nearby tissue and may have spread to lymph nodes.

            Stage III

Based on the type of cancer, the cancer may present with many tumors. It has spread to the nearby lymph nodes, tissues, and organs.

            Stage IV

This is stage of cancer and the cancer is metastasis in the other parts of the body.

Complications of Cancer, the Side Effects of Treatment, and Methods to Lessen Physical and Psychological Effects

The complications of cancer include constipation or diarrhea which is caused when treatment affect the patient’s bowels. The other complication is weight loss which happens when cancer deprives the normal cells foods and nutrients. Lastly, cancer may cause brain and nervous systems issues when it presses on nearby nerves and lead to loss of function on certain parts of the body. Moreover, brain cancers may lead to pain and signs and symptoms stroke including causing weakness on one side of the body.

On the other hand, CDC (2020) postulate that cancer treatment can cause various side effects including neutropenia which is a

condition characterized by massive reduction in white blood cells, which are the major defense mechanisms of the body against infections. The other side effect is hair loss which is mostly common after undergoing some kind of chemotherapy. The condition is known as alopecia. Lastly, nausea and vomiting are also side effects of cancer treatments that cause discomfort in patients’ stomach.

Essentially, cancer patients often experience intense physical and psychological stress due to devastating nature of the condition. Therefore, to lessen these effects, emotional and social support is necessary to cope with stress by minimizing anxiety, depression, and symptoms related to treatment. Such support includes different approaches such as counseling, social support groups, training in stress management, and cancer educational services.

Factors Contributing to the Yearly Incidence and Mortality Rates of Various Cancers in Americans

The annual incidences and mortality rates of different cancers are contributed by intricate and interrelated factors among the racial, underserved, and ethnic groups.  Healthypeople.gov (2020) observes that the major factors include insufficient health coverage and low socioeconomic status (SES). The SES is based on individual’s education level, income, demographics, social status, and occupation. The SES determines how a person or group access education, insurance coverage, health services, and healthy and safe living and working conditions free from toxin exposure. These factors are related to the risk of contracting and surviving cancer (Healthypeople.gov, 2020).

How the American Cancer Society (ACS) Provide Education and Support

ACS provides education and support to cancer patients and general public by providing free information in their website. Through the website and telephone support, ACS helps the patient and their families with critical cancer information such as understanding the type and nature of various cancer, treatment options, making informed treatment decisions, coping with side effects, handling financial matters, and emotional support. Primarily, ACS avails the information to help cancer patients from the initiation of diagnosis to recovery stages (Smith et al., 2017).  The ACS’s services that can be recommended to cancer patients include patient lodging services which help patients to secure a place to get treatment in situations where their treatment facility is far from where they are currently living. Moreover, services such as rides to treatment is essential in enabling the cancer patients to access treatment in situations where they are incapacitated to drive to the health facility. Additionally, the Patient Navigation Program is crucial in guiding, supporting, and informing many cancer patients in every step in coping with the condition. According to Riley & Riley (2016), the program is useful in many situations including helping in coping with news of cancer, identifying the best insurance company, handling financial matters, and counseling support.

How the Nursing Process is Utilized to Provide Safe and Effective Care for Cancer Patients across the Life Span

Nursing process connotes a scientific technique applied by nurses to provide quality care to patients. Therefore, to ensure safe and effective care to cancer patients, the process can be broken into five steps (McCuistion, Yeager, Winton & DiMaggio, 2020).

            Assessment Phase

This is the first step in the process where the gather collects patient information including the psychological, spiritual, and sociological status. Several techniques can be utilized including physical examination, interviews, family history, referencing health history of patient, and observation.
            Diagnosing Phase
Here, the nurse makes an informed judgment on the actual cancer a patient suffers from. Many diagnoses are carried out not only to describe the condition but also to determine if the patient is at risk of developing more problems. Moreover, diagnosis determines the level of readiness for health improvement. This is a critical stage in determining the best treatment.

            Planning Phase
After completing diagnosis, a treatment plan is created. If many diagnoses are to be addressed, the nurse prioritizes starting from the high risk and severe symptoms.
            Implementation Phase
This is a critical where the nurse acts on the determined plan of action. The plan should be patient-centered and based on tenable outcomes. The key activities include monitoring patient for possibility of change, patient education on cancer management, patient referrals, and follow ups.
            Evaluation Phase
This is the last stage of all nursing interventions and it is done to determine whether or not the goals of patient wellness are met. The patient outcomes are illustrated in three terms; the condition of the patient improved, stabilized, or worsened, died, or discharged. In case the wellness objectives are not achieved, the nursing process starts afresh.

How Undergraduate Education in Liberal Arts and Science Studies Contributes To the Foundation of Nursing Knowledge

Fundamentally, there is more to nursing than the technical skills and knowledge. A proficient nurse should also be well-rounded, think critically, cultural competent, and good communicator. Incorporation of liberal arts courses in undergraduate courses is crucial in growing these competencies and eventually improves patient outcomes. Regarding science studies, mathematics, and social and physical sciences, it is important to note that nursing is a genuine scientific discipline anchored on theory, continuous research, and evidence that are used to improve the care quality and enhance nursing practice. Therefore, understanding sciences is fundamental in nursing practice (Bernard, 2015). Taken together, nursing is both an art and science and the success in nursing field requires one to have both. When applied concurrently, the two make nurse effective and it is reflected in quality patient care.

Conclusion

Cancer is a considerable public health concern and its effects are continuously being felt by the patients, families, and economy. Therefore, creating educational and awareness programs about cancer is crucial. In particular, since nurses are the group of health care providers who take most of the time with cancer patients during the management of the condition, they need to seek more knowledge about cancer by consulting resources such as ACS and also properly apply nursing processes to ensure effective patient care. Moreover, nursing education should focus on both art and science to help nurses become well-rounded, think critically, cultural competent, and good communicator.

References

Bernard, J. S. (2015). The flipped classroom: fertile ground for nursing education research. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 12(1), 99-109.

Bray, F., Ferlay, J., Soerjomataram, I., Siegel, R. L., Torre, L. A., & Jemal, A. (2018). Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 68(6), 394-424.

Cancer.Net. (2018). Stages of Cancer. Cancer.Net. Retrieved 13 June 2020, from https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/diagnosing-cancer/stages-cancer.

CDC. (2020). Side Effects of Cancer Treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 13 June 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/patients/side-effects-of-treatment.htm.

Healthypeople.gov. (2020). Cancer | Healthy People 2020. Healthypeople.gov. Retrieved 13 June 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/cancer.

McCuistion, L. E., Yeager, J. J., Winton, M. B., & DiMaggio, K. V. (2020). Pharmacology-E-Book: A Patient-Centered Nursing Process Approach. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Riley, S., & Riley, C. (2016). The role of patient navigation in improving the value of oncology care. Journal of Clinical Pathways, 2(1), 41-47.

Smith, R. A., Andrews, K. S., Brooks, D., Fedewa, S. A., Manassaram‐Baptiste, D., Saslow, D., … & Wender, R. C. (2017). Cancer screening in the United States, 2017: a review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 67(2), 100-121.

Assessment Description

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