Do oncology nurses have sufficient knowledge of exercise oncology? A mini narrative review

There is a need to broaden the knowledge of oncology nurses about exercise prescription and recommendations for the improvement of quality of life and physical and mental health of patients with cancer and survivors. In addition, oncology nurses need to have comprehensive knowledge regarding the physiological mechanisms underlying these improvements. Through this mini review, we aimed to describe the level of expertise of nurses in the field of exercise oncology and identify appropriate solutions to improve this knowledge. Articles concerning exercise and oncology nursing practices published between January 1996 and September 2020 were searched in the PubMed electronic database; relevant articles were selected, full-text articles were assessed, and important information was extracted. A standard exercise oncology curriculum needs to be developed and implemented for oncology nursing practitioners and those training in oncology nursing. Oncology nurses should be trained in exercise oncology, rehabilitation, and exercise prescription and follow-up. This could boost the rate of adherence to self-managed/home-based exercise routine among cancer survivors.