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C.L. Mulvihill



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    PA01 - Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Care: Identifying and Improving Community Standards (ID 356)

    • Event: WCLC 2016
    • Type: Patient & Advocacy Session
    • Track: Patient Support and Advocacy Groups
    • Presentations: 1
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      PA01.04 - Nurse-Led Lung Cancer Support Service (ID 6747)

      11:00 - 12:30  |  Author(s): C.L. Mulvihill

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      • Presentation
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      Abstract:
      WCLC abstract December 2016 Title: The role of the Lung Cancer Nurse Service within the Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) Introduction: The presence of a Lung Cancer Nurse within a dedicated Lung Foundation is rare, nationally and internationally. In response to the need to improve national lung cancer services, Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) successfully secured funding through the Cancer Australia grant initiative “Supporting people with cancer”. LFA directed these funds toward addressing challenges identified by Cancer Australia within the lung cancer community through the appointment of a Lung Cancer Nurse to provide support and information across all stages of a lung cancer patient’s experience – not only at diagnosis, but also as a consistent point of contact throughout an extremely stressful and uncertain time. The service is intended to be an extension of existing health services, supporting both patient and carer throughout their journey. The role of the LFA Lung cancer nurse has evolved with the launch of the National Lung Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) directory in June 2016. This directory, currently representing 64 Lung MDTs, provides a detailed understanding of the services each hospital can provide for a patient, from diagnostics through to various treatment modalities. These two key initiatives - the Lung Cancer Nurse Service and National Lung MDT Directory - service have become intertwined, supporting the needs of patients and, importantly, navigating them towards achieving the best level of care whilst ensuring the patient, their family and carers feel supported, informed and respected. The most significant aspect of the Lung Cancer Nurse Service is that of patient advocate, reflecting and representing the needs of patients nationally and, where appropriate, linking patients back into the health care system. Lung cancer specialist nurse roles are pivotal in representing patient needs within Lung MDT meetings as well as referring them into community support services. However, with the development of the National Lung MDT directory it has become evident there are significant variations among Lung MDT operations: including representation of the different professional disciplines involved in caring for patients with lung cancer; formal communication channels to primary care providers; and providing patients with access to a dedicated Lung Cancer Support Nurse. For example, data from the commencement of the Lung Cancer Nurse Service in July 2015 confirms that not every patient has access to a specialist Lung Cancer Nurse – currently the National Lung MDT directory has highlighted the existence of 30 dedicated Lung Cancer Nurses nationally, which currently equates to one specialised nurse per 400 patients diagnosed with lung cancer. Overall the National Lung MDT Directory and Lung Cancer Nurse Service have become a vital link in delivering efficient, up-to-date information for patients and carers seeking support and guidance. Ultimately the objective of the Lung Cancer Nurse Service is to continue to address the principles of best practice management in lung cancer ensuring: the patient and carer feel supported, informed and respected; all patients receive timely access to all components of their care regardless of location: and patients have access to all relevant treatment and supportive options and, importantly, have well-coordinated lung cancer care. This Service complements the support structures that are already in place, so clinicians can continue to strive to ensure the needs of lung cancer patients can be addressed and increase much-needed support and resources. The experience in establishing this new role within LFA, forming collaborations with national Lung Cancer MDTs and the measurable impact of the role on outcomes for lung cancer patients, will be presented in both qualitative and quantitative terms.

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