CN10 - Cancer nursing education and recognition in Europe: A survey by the European Oncology Nursing Society

Background

Recent work by the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) has provided evidence for the added value of specialised cancer nursing interventions on patient outcomes and the relief of cancer burden. The variability in existing specialised cancer nursing education programs, regulation, and recognition across European countries raised the question of mapping the situation to strive for a common base using the EONS’s Cancer Nursing Education Framework. The aim of this survey is to further explore the actual reality of educational programs and the recognition of cancer nursing as a specialty across Europe.

Methods

In 2019 a survey, covering ten items regarding cancer nursing education and recognition, was send out to cancer nurses of the WHO European Region countries. The items were: existence and type of specialty education, who provides it, title if education program completed, since when does it exist, duration of the program, structure of the program, modules of the education, number of ECTS, and recognition of the specialisation.

Results

From the 51, only 13 countries were responded (response rate 25.49%) and all reported the existence of specialised cancer nursing education programs, with a variation in type of education or training (master’s programs, diplomas or other certificates) and the duration (between 200hrs to 6 years). Most of the programs are provided by academic institutes or university hospitals, and the first are aged since the decade of 80’s (UK, Ireland). In only 5 countries the national authority recognised cancer nursing as a specialty. A second launch of the survey will be send out to identified cancer nurses from the missing countries to increase the response rate.

Conclusions

Specialised cancer nursing education is pivotal to guarantee equal high-quality cancer care for all patients across Europe. Innovation and complex cancer nurse-led interventions can only be delivered by well-educated and specialised cancer nurses. We need to further investigate what the actual situation is in order to promote cancer nursing as a specialty across Europe, based on a mutually agreed education framework.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

EONS.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.