At the nursing team of IOB Institute of Oncology, our commitment is to help and accompany both the patient and their families and accompanying parties throughout all the phases of the disease, offering security and confidence through the entire process of the illness.
As a multidisciplinary team, we are where the various departments of IOB come together. We work alongside your oncologist in the monitoring of your disease and look after your well-being.
When starting treatment, we first have a nurse’s visit in which we provide healthcare education so that the patient will be able to face the new situation as easily as possible.
We tell you about the treatment type, the side effects and how to manage them and we give you all the telephone numbers and complementary services that they might need.
We will contact you by phone to learn about your degree of tolerance, symptoms and any doubts that may arise once the treatment has started. We will also give you recommendations on how to manage the treatment.
Our monitoring helps us to perform a correct evaluation of your status and thereby detect your needs at all times, both physically as well as emotionally. If needed, we will refer you to our emergency oncological unit or other departments
The Clinical Nursing unit has 4 basic functions: care, teaching, coordination and communication.
1. Care
- Providing complete care for the patient and those around him through a care plan: assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation.
- Guaranteeing the continuity of care, through telephone follow-ups and/or presential follow-ups and/or emails.
- Collaborate with cancer committees to collect and evaluate the patient data with the goal of identifying possible areas that could be improved.
- Promote an environment in which the patient and their family are at the center of our multidisciplinary care.
- Build an environment of collaboration with the rest of the multidisciplinary team members with the objective of improving patient care.
2. Teaching
- Assess the needs of the patient and his socio-cultural environment with the aim to provide the healthcare education pertinent to each individual case.
- Provide and reinforce the education for the patient and their family about their diagnosis, treatment, managing side-effects, and survival.
- Educate the patient on the role of clinical nursing; IOB’s multidisciplinary team and the resources available; and the patient themselves; the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and the reinforcement of the patient and their environment, the importance of adhering to the treatment properly , respecting the medications’ schedule and the protocols.
3. Coordination
- Act as the nexus for the various departments involved in the care of the oncological patient.
- Assess the needs of the patient in the first nursing visit with the goal of referring you to other support services (psycho-oncology, dietician, etc.), being user to use the suitable scales of evaluation and updating the patient’s status.
- Provide emotional support for the smooth transition from active treatment through to the survival stage.
- Coordinate a holistic care plan within a multidisciplinary team, and ensure adequate monitoring throughout treatment.
4. Communication
- Build therapeutic relationships and trust with the patient, their family and the principal care-givers through effective communication and active, empathetic listening.
- Act as the nexus between patients and care-givers in order to optimize the results for the patient.
- Watch over the patient, promoting their optimal care and immediately respond to their needs.
- Provide emotional support to the patient and their family in the most difficult moments of their illness.
- Facilitate communication between the members of the multidisciplinary team, thereby avoiding the fragmentation or delay in the patient’s care.
Our main functions are:
- Symptom control.
- Nutritional recommendations.
- Treatment of tumor lesions and wounds.
- Recommendations on skin and mucosa care.
- Referrals to other specialists in the case they are necessary.
- Over the phone follow-up on toxicities.
- Email availability of the reference nurse.
- Management of molecular studies.
DAY HOSPITAL
IOB’s Day Hospital is a healthcare service located in the same center that offers specialized care and the administration of outpatient treatments.
Patients mainly come in to receive the administration of chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy and supportive treatments. Patients also have blood drawn for tests and IV cannulation is performed for venous access.
It has a multidisciplinary team made up of:
- Specialist doctors.
- Nurses trained in the administration of oncological treatments.
- Support staff.
We work in the coordination of distinct departments: outpatient consultations, clinical testing laboratory, radiology, oncological pharmacy, etc.
What is the Day Hospital like?
The Day Hospital has a blood draw room with three armchairs, a clinical trials consultation room, and individual cubicles that are equipped with reclining chairs or with beds.
Most of these cubicles have a television, free Wi-Fi connection and space for a companion.
How do we work?
There is a scheduling staff who sets the date and time for patient appointments over the phone for treatment and other services.
When the patient arrives at IOB they go to the reception, where they are admitted for outpatient treatment or are given the request for testing prior to treatment or their doctor’s visit.
Upon arrival at the Day Hospital the patient will be placed in a cubicle or other space depending on the type of treatment and their general status. Their vital signs will be taken and then the treatment will be administered.
The medications are given using infusion pumps, which help administer the drugs in a safe and controlled manner.
Each treatment is individualized and its duration depends on the chemotherapy plan prescribed by your oncologist or hematologist
During the infusion of the medication the patient does not have to do anything in particular. However, if at any time the patient notices a strange sensation the nurse must be advised as soon as possible. The nurse will evaluate the status of the patient and follow the protocol established for the circumstances.
There is a doctor on call who can handle any emergency arising from the treatment. Likewise, if the patient has any questions, he may consult the doctor during their visit.
The Continuous Care Unit of IOB Institute of Oncology handles urgent outpatient visits that may be required at any time by ambulatory oncological patients.
In addition to those receiving chemotherapy at the Day Hospital, there are patients who may be administered support or palliative care in those cases where it is necessary.
Our main functions are:
- Treatments and venous access. Experts in the administration and management of oncohematological treatments: chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy.
- Specialists in capillary cryotherapy for the prevention of alopecia.
- In order to guarantee the quality, safety and personalization of the care, all of the medications are labeled with the patient’s name and the nurse shall always check them prior to the administration.
- Immediate and organized action taken in response to adverse drug reactions.
- Specialists in peripheral and central venous accesses.
- Handling of catheters and other devices.
- Continued improvement of treatment and techniques, continuous training, and teaching of students.
In the clinical trials nursing team, our work is aimed at guaranteeing the quality of care of the patients who take part in a clinical trial. Our team is made up of specialized nurses.
Our main functions are:
- Inform, support and offer healthcare education to the patient and their family.
- Administer the trial treatments.
- Assess the drug’s toxicity, during and after its administration.
- Monitor the patient, offering you both presential care and over the phone follow-ups.
- Work in a team with the rest of the investigating team, and serve as the nexus between the patient and the rest of the departments involved.
- Guarantee compliance with the protocols that oversee the patient’s safety and the drug’s efficacy.