1. Feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led model of care for managing glucocorticoid induced hyperglycaemia among oncology and haematology patients.
- Author
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Wright, Jenny, Nielsen, Theresa, Burns, Samantha, Weekes, Nicole, McErlean, Gemma, Pradhan, Anisha, and Flack, Jeff
- Subjects
NURSING audit ,MEDICAL quality control ,EVALUATION of human services programs ,CANCER patients ,CONFERENCES & conventions ,HYPERGLYCEMIA ,GLUCOCORTICOIDS - Abstract
Introduction Glucocorticoid therapy (GT) is frequently part of cancer therapy. However, GT can cause glucocorticoid induced-hyperglycaemia (GIH) that can adversely affect outcomes with reported incidences of 32-64%, according to a study by Liu and colleagues in 2013. A study by Vilder and colleagues in 2017 found that glucocorticoids not only exacerbate hyperglycaemia in patients with known diabetes, but also cause GIH in 30% of patients without known diabetes. Objectives/Aims To pilot a nurse-led model of care (MOC) for patients requiring chemotherapy that includes high-dose glucocorticoids (HDG) at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital (BLH) to: * Assess feasibility of this MOC for managing GIH * Assess patient and healthcare professionals (HCP) experience Description/Methodology A single-site prospective descriptive cohort study of eligible cancer patients aged >18, receiving chemotherapy including HDG at BLH, with no prior diagnosis of diabetes/prediabetes, and not at end-oflife. Following consent, patients had HbA1c and random/fasting plasma glucose screening for undiagnosed diabetes. Patients without pre-existing diabetes were educated on the risk of GIH and the need for selfmonitoring blood glucose QID on days of GT plus 1 extra day for the first four cycles of treatment. Patient and staff surveys were conducted to explore their experiences of this new MOC. Results/Outcomes 314 patients were diagnosed with cancer at BLH between February 2022 and August 2023. Of the 211 eligible patients, 74 (35%) were screened and 35 (16.5%) consented. Six participants (17%) withdrew from the study. Barriers to participation included a sense that it was onerous, feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to participate in research. Nine HCP responded, five nurses and four doctors. All reported the MOC was good/very good regarding collaboration with the diabetes team, improving patient's clinical outcomes and would speak highly of the MOC with colleagues. Conclusions We found this nurse-led intervention for GIH management a feasible MOC to screen for and identify individuals receiving GT with undiagnosed diabetes. However, issues relating to patient acceptance of BGL monitoring for GIH diagnosis in cancer patients could hamper overall success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024