Nursing-sensitive patient outcomes - A white paper

Cancer imposes a significant burden on patients, their families, and society, often affecting quality of life for years following initial diagnosis. Outcomes and quality of care for patients with cancer recently have come into question, emphasizing the need to understand the role of oncology nurses in ensuring the delivery of high-quality cancer care aimed at producing measurable and acceptable outcomes. This article describes patient outcomes that are amenable to nursing intervention (nursing-sensitive patient outcomes [NSPOs]) and the role of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) in ensuring patients' ability to receive care that enables them to achieve the best outcomes. A focus on improving NSPOs allows us to "drive quality oncology care through clinical practice, research, education, and policy" (ONS, 2004c).