A University research study has found that specialist lung cancer nurses could be putting patients in a stronger and healthier position to cope with the rigorous course of treatment that they undergo.
The study by Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Health and Social Care Research (CHSCR) found Lung Cancer Nurse Specialists (LCNS)can identify and provide symptom relief at the early stages of the disease and could therefore be giving patients a better chance of being fit enough to be able to access the treatment available.
Reviews of four different health trusts were carried out as part of the study, funded by the General Nursing Council Trust, to look at how nurse specialists operate within different models of care and how they affect the patient pathway and the level of access to treatment.
The research has been conducted in partnership with the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses. It follows on from the 2010 UK Lung Cancer Audit that showed 64% of patients who were seen by a specialist nurse received anti-cancer treatment as opposed to only 30% of those who were not.
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