ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the core treatments in oncology, and the development of nurse-led clinics to improve services for patients. This is based on a review of the literature covering surgical, chemotherapy and radiotherapy nurse-led clinics, together with practical examples from clinical practice. The chapter first discusses nurse-led follow-up clinics and nurse-led clinics for patients on clinical trials. It then demonstrates how skill mix can be used effectively in nurse-led clinics, and how different nursing roles can work together to improve patient care. A survey of oncology specialist nurses' roles in nurse-led clinics identified that several nurses were undertaking pre-operative assessment clinics; however this was mainly undertaken by nurse practitioners within the research sample. Finally, the chapter describes the roles of clinical research nurses involved in clinical trials, phases of research, and mandatory processes for healthcare research, including ethical and research and development approvals, and informed consent.
