Developing a nursing triage tool to assess patient support needs through treatment for lung cancer
Neal, Hilary Eaton, Marie A Fenemore, Jackie Halkyard, Emma McEntee, Delyth Bostock, Layla
Neal, Hilary
Eaton, Marie A
Fenemore, Jackie
Halkyard, Emma
McEntee, Delyth
Bostock, Layla
Citations
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Abstract
Introduction: Improvements in treatments and outcomes within
lung cancer have resulted in an increasing number of patients
requiring access to appropriate support. Within a tertiary centre,
stratification of support is required in order to target the patients
with the greatest needs. The Lung cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists (LCNS) were previously assessing patients’ needs through intuition
using differing criteria. To standardise this, the team are developing
a triage tool utilising a red, amber, green approach to stratifying
need. It assesses 10 areas of patient vulnerability. On completion of
the assessment, those with particular needs will be triggered by an
amber or red flag. The tool will proactively identify patient need,
helping the LCNS to work towards a manageable caseload.
Methods: Ten key areas of patient vulnerability were identified.
Already validated tools for these areas were incorporated into the
design. A scoring system was developed against each area and was
piloted on 50 patients to assess the consistency of the tool result in
comparison to the LCNS assessment. Any category resulting in an
amber or red outcome, led to a more complex intervention.
Results: The tool will be further piloted by the LCNS and
interventions implemented. The aim is to roll the tool out across
Greater Manchester so that it can be used by CNSs in local Hospitals
and will be continually used throughout the patient pathway. The
assessment will be recorded on the electronic patient record to
be auditable ensuring that LCNS patient interventions are at the
appropriate level to their support need.
Conclusion: This triage tool, whilst not replacing clinical judgement,
is designed to remove the inconsistency of assessment and create
a stratified approach to patient need. This will enable appropriate
allocation of resources and provide auditable data to allow service
improvement and ultimately enhance the patient experience.
Affiliation
Description
Date
2020
Publisher
Collections
Keywords
Type
Meetings and Proceedings
Citation
Neal H, Eaton MA, Fenemore J, Halkyard E, McEntee D, Bostock L. Developing a nursing triage tool to assess patient support needs through treatment for lung cancer. Lung Cancer. 2020;139:S74-S5