Department of Nursing

Chie Asanuma

Introduction

Guided by the principle that nurses are active team members in state-of-the-art cancer treatment and participate in the development of cancer nursing at the core hospital providing cancer nursing care in Japan, the Department of Nursing of the National Cancer Center Hospital East works based on the following basic policies:

1. To provide nursing care founded on trust and reassurance, respecting the dignity of life and the rights of patients;

2. To pursue the essential values of nursing and practice scientific and creative nursing;

3. To facilitate clinical studies and disseminate new information concerning cancer nursing; and

4. To promote development of leadership skills. In addition, the Department of Nursing

In addition, the Department of Nursing is involved in and contributing to hospital management, working to help find a better balance between the provision of quality medical and nursing services and the efficiency of business.

Routine activities

Nursing Activities

Backed by the consciousness and a sense of responsibility of the nurses at the Hospital East, the Department of Nursing has been striving to support the progress of medicine and to provide safe and reliable nursing care meeting the needs of patients and their families in the best possible way. To this end, the Department has been making efforts to develop institutional systems, improve work practice, promote team medicine, promote regional healthcare collaboration, and develop and recruit human resources, so that it can actively be involved in hospital management and provide quality medical and nursing services through linkage, cooperation, and collaboration, across the borders of different vocations.

The average number of inpatients, bed utilization rate, bed availability, average length of stay, number of outpatients, number of chemotherapy patients at the Outpatient Treatment Center, number of operations, and other performance indicators all exceeded the records in the previous year.

The increase in the number of patients saw a response in the increase in nurses, outpatient and ward clerks, and nursing assistants, as well as delegation of work responsibilities among different vocations, sharing of work responsibilities, and improvement of work practice, which resulted in remarkable improvements in efficiency, safety, and cost performance.

Educational Activities

The in-house education program of our hospital is characterized by the two-tier structure consisting of “basic education” providing basic knowledge and skills in nursing and “specialist education in cancer nursing” for the practice of cancer nursing. On the foundation of the basic knowledge and skills in nursing, the in-house education program trains nurses who can deliver "nursing offering peace of mind," where patients and their families may choose treatment and care through their own decisions, while nurses use their excellent expertise and skills to alleviate pain. The nurses trained in this way are sent to work in clinical settings.

In addition, in-house programs for nurse administrators, researchers, and educators are also offered, as well as active support got the participation in overseas training and outside training for the nurses who want further advancement.

Training programs are also offered to the nurses from other organizations, such as “Delirium Program Training,” “Communication Training,” and “Cancer Nursing Training,” achieving qualitative improvement and career advancement of nurses both in and outside of the hospital.

Certified Nurse Specialists and Certified Nurses

One certified nurse specialist in cancer, one certified nurse in skin and excretory care, and one certified nurse in palliative care were newly qualified in 2015. At present, there are eight certified nurse specialists in two areas and 31 certified nurses in eight areas working in various nursing units, serving as role models in nursing practice in respective specialties. They are also working in cross-organizational roles as the members of medical teams, such as infection control, palliative care, and nutrition support teams.

The scheme for in-house certified nurses in anticancer IV was created to enhance the specialty of nurses and expand their work responsibilities for the purpose of reducing the workload of physicians so that they could concentrate on their work. In the third year of implementation, this scheme has qualified 55 in-house certified nurses. The scheme for in-house certified nurses in radiotherapy intravenous injection, launched last year, qualified four in-house certified nurses, who are working actively in clinical practice.

“Delirium Program Training,” “Communication Training,” “Cancer Nursing Training,” and other training programs were offered to nurses from other organizations, and were attended by many nurses from across the country. The in-house education programs of our hospital are also made available to the nurses from five national hospitals in Chiba Prefecture and other hospitals in the country. These have been attended by 244 nurses in total, achieving qualitative improvement and career advancement of nurses both in and outside of the hospital.

Operation of Certified Nurse Education Courses and Training of Certified Nurses

The training course for certification in palliative care, established in 2013 after obtaining facility accreditation as an educational institution for certified nurses from the Japanese Nursing Association, has seen successful graduation of 11 trainees in the first batch and 18 in the second. At present, it is attended by 22 trainees in the third batch.

The 29 trainees in the first and second graduating classes passed the examination for certified nurses in palliative care, and are working as role models in palliative care at various medical institutions.

Following the training course for certification in palliative care, the certified nurse training course in chemotherapy is in the process of preparation, scheduled for opening in July 2016.

Research activities

Including three presentations at overseas venues, 30 presentations were made at academic conferences. Three of these studies were supported by subsidies from outside organizations. The increase in the number of presentations in nursing study, the acquisition of study funds from outside sources, and the improvement of the quality of study owe a lot to the support of the clinical trial support team consisting of physicians and other members from the Hospital East, as well as the nursing study support team consisting of certified nurse specialists and certified nurses. These support teams are providing assistance and stimulating the inquiring minds of nurses, who are courageously tackling the clinical problems.

The publication of 26 articles in journals and the issuance of the book "Communication Skills Using NURSE," edited by the Department of Nursing of the Hospital East, were the products of our research activities in clinical practice.

We strive for further improvement of the quality of our nursing study, so that we can create and disseminate new approaches to evidencebased cancer nursing at the National Cancer Center Hospital East.

Future prospects

Our tasks for 2016 include making a further leap forward as a research core hospital and obtaining the accreditation as a specific function hospital providing advanced, pioneering medical care. In conjunction with the construction of the NEXT building, we also expect the addition of more operating rooms and endoscopy rooms and the construction of ICUs. The Department of Nursing of the Hospital East, as a component in team medicine, plans to provide advanced, pioneering medical care expected of a research core hospital/specific function hospital; to promote clinical study and trials; and to reinforce the system for patient safety. At the same time, we strive for appropriate training, recruitment, and placement of nurses, which are the basis for the improvement of the quality of nursing and the innovations in nursing in response to the progress of medicine.

As we understand the critical importance of stable business operations in realizing the ideals and missions of the National Cancer Center, the Department of Nursing of the Hospital East works in cooperation and collaboration with other departments to facilitate management improvements.