Introduction
The work of medical personnel in gerontological patient departments requires certain approaches to the organization of the care process. It is essential to not only provide high-quality assistance but also to prevent the occurrence of related problems that may have dangerous consequences. Complications that arise due to disease outbreaks are a threat to older adults since they affect the results of treatment.
In order to prevent potentially dangerous outcomes, it is important to protect both patients and healthcare specialists from infections caused by diseases. This paper proposes to consider an evidenced-plan based on work with gerontological patients in oncology departments to prevent disease outbreaks. As an auxiliary base, academic literary sources will be analyzed, and appropriate suggestions will be made regarding the methods of protection.
Target Population
As a target population, gerontological oncology patients will be considered. Cancer treatment among this group is quite common, and certain healthcare settings are usually filled with a large number of people. In this regard, the danger of disease outbreaks increases since many patients may be affected during the treatment process. A body weakened by oncology is poorly resistant to concomitant diseases. Therefore, it is required to evaluate those aspects of work that relate to the potentially successful ways of protecting both patients and medical personnel from disease outbreaks.
Care Specifics
The characteristics of gerontological patient care are different from those supported among other groups of the population. According to Kalsi et al. (2015), one of the practices is “comprehensive geriatric assessment” that includes “a review of frailty, comorbidities, geriatric syndromes (e.g., falls, incontinence), mental health, functional difficulties, and social circumstances” (p. 1436). This method of the comprehensive assessment of health factors helps to identify potentially important areas for conducting interventions.
However, in cancer patients, the process of care is complicated by the fact that the disease has a detrimental effect on the body and reduces immunity, thereby increasing the risk of developing concomitant illnesses. Therefore, it is required to consider those needs that relate to this target group.
Health Needs Assessment
Extra precautions should be applied to gerontological cancer patients for them to feel safe. Droz et al. (2014) argue that this group of population is subject to “vulnerability and frailty,” and their body condition should be taken into account when planning therapy (p. e406). Also, adult cancer patients need more frequent monitoring by nursing and physician personnel since frequent changes in well-being is possible. Finally, protection against comorbidities is a crucial condition for providing comprehensive care to avoid complications during the treatment course. All of these factors are significant and should be considered when planning work.
Factors That Impact Health Outcomes
Various factors affecting health outcomes need to be taken into account. As Mohile et al. (2015) note, “patient’s physical, functional, social, and psychological well-being” are crucial aspects that are to be reviewed. Also, the special properties of health should be controlled to avoid complications. In particular, Kalsi et al. (2015) mention toxicity risks and the individual tolerance of chemotherapeutic drugs that are used to treat cancer. Each patient’s assessment should be individualized to achieve positive outcomes and eliminate complications.
Clinical Question
Based on the information considered, the necessary clinical question can be formulated as a rationale for conducting an intervention. It reads as follows: what factors contribute to the prevention of disease outbreaks among cancer patients in gerontological departments? In order to respond to it, relevant and credible academic sources should be analyzed, and an intervention plan may be drawn up in accordance with the findings of the review.
Literature Review
Care features related to gerontological cancer patients, and measures that are necessary to prevent disease outbreaks are described by different authors. Droz et al. (2014) focus on prostate tumors and suggest using special guidelines developed by the International Society of Geriatric Oncology. According to the results of the study, it is assumed that the individual parameters of each patient should be taken into account when developing a therapeutic plan. Fujiki, Ishizaki, and Nakayama (2017) evaluate different ways of preventing viral infection among gerontological patients in various medical settings.
The authors claim that in most institutions, appropriate protection measures are applied, but the cost of preparation varies depending on the status of a particular facility (Fujiki et al., 2017). Kalsi et al. (2015) assess the vulnerability of the target group and the factors influencing the nature of the treatment. According to the results of the work conducted, the proposed assessment system is evaluated as a universal method for analyzing patients’ conditions.
Mohile et al. (2015) conduct the study aimed at finding a positive correlation between a relevant intervention plan for gerontological cancer patients and the outcomes of treatment. As a result, by means of statistical evaluation, it is found that a special assessment methodology makes it possible to manage care processes successfully. Ocampo et al. (2017) study current medical practices designed to prevent disease outbreaks in healthcare settings and argue that control systems are different, and staff interest is essential.
To consider the nature of disease outbreaks in cancer units, Watkins et al. (2017) review Legionnaires’ disease. They argue that the cause of contamination is water quality, and appropriate control measures should be taken (Watkins et al., 2017). Thus, based on the review, to prevent disease outbreaks in gerontological cancer departments, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of each patient and to monitor the observance of hygiene standards closely.
Available Interventions
In order to develop an evidence-based intervention, it is necessary to take into account the results of the review of the target audience and the empirical findings. It is assumed that the control of hygienic standards in gerontological cancer departments is one of the most relevant forms of work. The project can last for three months, and throughout its course, the results will be evaluated by using nursing reports and assessing the sanitary conditions of medical settings. The intervention aimed at preventing disease outbreaks requires compliance with hygiene norms by both patients and healthcare employees.
Evidence-Based Project
As a cost-effective project involving the solution of the aforementioned problem, the following work steps can be proposed:
- The involvement of medical personnel and the explanation of these activities’ relevance.
- The assessment of the sanitary condition of several gerontological cancer departments (water quality, air-condition, and other parameters).
- Three-month patient monitoring in accordance with their individual needs.
- The maintenance of cleanliness and extra precautions to avoid disease outbreaks.
- The evaluation of the sanitary condition of the departments after three months.
If positive results are found, this cost-effective intervention plan may be disseminated among a wider medical audience.
Evaluation Criteria
To assess the impact of this project and its potential benefits, several criteria need to be taken into account. In particular, one of them is the frequency of infectious diseases among the patients of the considered group. In case this parameter decreases in comparison with the initial results before the intervention, it will indicate the success of the work conducted. Also, another important criterion is feedback from the medical staff. If employees of specific settings confirm that the activities performed have yielded positive results and allowed reducing the risk of disease outbreaks, it will provide an opportunity to implement this practice in other healthcare units.
Stakeholders
The project’s stakeholders are the nursing and medical personnel of the gerontological cancer departments, the patients of these units, and the management of healthcare institutions that monitor subordinates’ productivity. It is possible that the vision of the outcomes will differ among all the described members. For instance, patients can count on one result, and medical workers – on another one.
However, in the case of the successful implementation of the intervention, the advantages of the work carried out will be appreciated. Preliminarily, it is required to notify all stakeholders about the upcoming changes and tell them the importance of these activities. It will strengthen their desire to achieve a common goal, and the desire to succeed will be as strong as possible.
Conclusion
Based on the literature review and findings, it can be concluded that one of the optimal evidenced-plans aimed at preventing disease outbreaks among gerontological patients in oncology departments may include monitoring the sanitary status of healthcare units. Stakeholder involvement is necessary, and the merits of the potential outcomes of the intervention should be communicated to them. This practice can be utilized in different medical settings if it turns out effective. Helping the target population is the crucial aspect of nursing and physician practice, and the individual characteristics of patients are to be taken into account.
References
Droz, J. P., Aapro, M., Balducci, L., Boyle, H., Van den Broeck, T., Cathcart, P.,… Sugihara, T. (2014). Management of prostate cancer in older patients: Updated recommendations of a working group of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology. The Lancet Oncology, 15(9), e404-e414. Web.
Fujiki, S., Ishizaki, T., & Nakayama, T. (2017). Variations in status of preparation of personal protective equipment for preventing norovirus gastroenteritis in long-term care facilities for the elderly. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 23(6), 1203-1210. Web.
Kalsi, T., Babic-Illman, G., Ross, P. J., Maisey, N. R., Hughes, S., Fields, P.,… Harari, D. (2015). The impact of comprehensive geriatric assessment interventions on tolerance to chemotherapy in older people. British Journal of Cancer, 112(9), 1435-1444. Web.
Mohile, S. G., Velarde, C., Hurria, A., Magnuson, A., Lowenstein, L., Pandya, C.,… Dale, W. (2015). Geriatric assessment-guided care processes for older adults: A Delphi consensus of geriatric oncology experts. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 13(9), 1120-1130. Web.
Ocampo, W., Geransar, R., Clayden, N., Jones, J., de Grood, J., Joffe, M.,… Conly, J. (2017). Environmental scan of infection prevention and control practices for containment of hospital-acquired infectious disease outbreaks in acute care hospital settings across Canada. American Journal of Infection Control, 45(10), 1116-1126. Web.
Watkins, L. K. F., Toews, K. A. E., Harris, A. M., Davidson, S., Ayers-Millsap, S., Lucas, C. E.,… Kutty, P. K. (2017). Lessons from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on a hematology-oncology unit. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 38(3), 306-313. Web.