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Pediatric Oncology Nursing Research in the Children’s Oncology Group: The Second Generation
SEMINARS IN
ONCOLOGY NURSING Vol 21, No 2, Suppl 2
May 2005
PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY NURSING RESEARCH IN THE CHILDREN’S ONCOLOGY GROUP: THE SECOND GENERATION
I
n 2000, the Nursing Discipline Committee in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) created the first-ever State of the Science Summit (SOS I) for Pediatric Oncology Nursing Research. At the summit, four nurse researchers with established programs of research in pediatric oncology presented detailed overviews of their programs; eight additional researchers (nurses and non-nurses) then offered critiques of the programs (see Seminars in Oncology Nursing, Vol 16, no. 4, November 2000). Following the summit, clinical nurse experts who were senior members of two of the previous pediatric oncology groups that had merged to form the COG and whose areas of expertise matched those of the four nurse researchers were formally aligned with the nurse researchers to form four research teams. These dyads were composed of a nurse researcher and an advanced practice nurse who were referred to as the COG Nurse Scholars. These research teams accepted the charge to contribute directly to the scientific mission of the newly formed COG through their research efforts that would be based in their own areas of defined expertise. The anticipated indicators of success for this infrastructure of nurse scholars included one or more of each of the following: productive committee placements within the COG committee structure, publications, concepts, research objectives nested within therapeutic protocols, freestanding nurse-led protocols, research grants, and presentations. These indicators have been realized (see Ruccione et al1 elsewhere in this issue). We also hoped for an additional outcome: that the infrastructure composed of the nurse scholar teams would mature as the research teams became collaborative units and became skilled in the practices of an oncology cooperative group. We particularly hoped to retain all of the nurse scholars in these roles. To date, the scholars continue in their roles and have effectively become viable members of the COG. In addition, this infrastructure has been of interest to the nurse leaders of other oncology cooperative groups, specialty nursing organizations, and academic nursing programs. Building on the success of the first summit, a second State of the Science Summit (SOS II) for Pediatric Oncology Nursing Research was convened in 2004, 2 years in advance of the original timetable created at the time of the emergence of the COG. Three new nursing research foci were included at the SOS II: treatment-related decision making, complementary and alternative health care, and end-of-life care. The overview of these new research programs, critiques of each program, and consensus statements
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regarding next steps for each research program are included in this issue of Seminars in Oncology Nursing. The priority topics for the research teams from SOS I and SOS II are well matched to the areas of interest previously identified by the COG (G. Reaman, Children’s Oncology Group Chair’s grant no. 5 U10 CA098543; 07/07/03-02/29/08) and by a working group of national leaders in pediatric oncology convened by the National Institute of Nursing Research.2 Maintaining this synchrony will be a priority and purposeful act by the nursing leaders of COG. A particularly important indicator of success from both summits is of special importance to pediatric oncology: the emergence of a new generation of pediatric oncology clinical nurse researchers. Four of the COG nurse scholars who are the advanced practice clinical nurse experts are now enrolled in nursing doctoral programs. This indicator coupled with the established role of nursing within the pediatric cooperative group ensures a productive future of nursing contributions to the scientific mission of the COG. As we move forward from the Summit, our desire as nurses to improve care outcomes for all children/adolescents who will experience cancer in their childhood years and for their families will be fostered by: maintaining the collaborative spirit that seeks critique of our research from nurses and non-nurses, providing opportunities to facilitate intellectual interests of others, and being mindful of the research priorities of partner organizations.
REFERENCES 1. Ruccione KS, Hinds PS, DeSwarte Wallace J, et al. Creating a novel structure for nursing research in a cooperative clinical trials group: The Children’s Oncology Group Experience. Semin Oncol Nurs 2005;21:79-88. 2. Hare M, Hinds PS, Stewart J. Moving the research agenda forward for children and adolescents with cancer. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs 2004;21:186-188.
Pamela S. Hinds, PhD, RN Director of Nursing Research St Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memphis, TN Joetta DeSwarte Wallace, MSN, RN Clinical Nurse Specialist Pediatric Oncology Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, CA
© 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.soncn.2004.12.001
ONCOLOGY NURSING Vol 21, No 2, Suppl 2
May 2005
PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY NURSING RESEARCH IN THE CHILDREN’S ONCOLOGY GROUP: THE SECOND GENERATION
I
n 2000, the Nursing Discipline Committee in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) created the first-ever State of the Science Summit (SOS I) for Pediatric Oncology Nursing Research. At the summit, four nurse researchers with established programs of research in pediatric oncology presented detailed overviews of their programs; eight additional researchers (nurses and non-nurses) then offered critiques of the programs (see Seminars in Oncology Nursing, Vol 16, no. 4, November 2000). Following the summit, clinical nurse experts who were senior members of two of the previous pediatric oncology groups that had merged to form the COG and whose areas of expertise matched those of the four nurse researchers were formally aligned with the nurse researchers to form four research teams. These dyads were composed of a nurse researcher and an advanced practice nurse who were referred to as the COG Nurse Scholars. These research teams accepted the charge to contribute directly to the scientific mission of the newly formed COG through their research efforts that would be based in their own areas of defined expertise. The anticipated indicators of success for this infrastructure of nurse scholars included one or more of each of the following: productive committee placements within the COG committee structure, publications, concepts, research objectives nested within therapeutic protocols, freestanding nurse-led protocols, research grants, and presentations. These indicators have been realized (see Ruccione et al1 elsewhere in this issue). We also hoped for an additional outcome: that the infrastructure composed of the nurse scholar teams would mature as the research teams became collaborative units and became skilled in the practices of an oncology cooperative group. We particularly hoped to retain all of the nurse scholars in these roles. To date, the scholars continue in their roles and have effectively become viable members of the COG. In addition, this infrastructure has been of interest to the nurse leaders of other oncology cooperative groups, specialty nursing organizations, and academic nursing programs. Building on the success of the first summit, a second State of the Science Summit (SOS II) for Pediatric Oncology Nursing Research was convened in 2004, 2 years in advance of the original timetable created at the time of the emergence of the COG. Three new nursing research foci were included at the SOS II: treatment-related decision making, complementary and alternative health care, and end-of-life care. The overview of these new research programs, critiques of each program, and consensus statements
78
HIINDS AND WALLACE
regarding next steps for each research program are included in this issue of Seminars in Oncology Nursing. The priority topics for the research teams from SOS I and SOS II are well matched to the areas of interest previously identified by the COG (G. Reaman, Children’s Oncology Group Chair’s grant no. 5 U10 CA098543; 07/07/03-02/29/08) and by a working group of national leaders in pediatric oncology convened by the National Institute of Nursing Research.2 Maintaining this synchrony will be a priority and purposeful act by the nursing leaders of COG. A particularly important indicator of success from both summits is of special importance to pediatric oncology: the emergence of a new generation of pediatric oncology clinical nurse researchers. Four of the COG nurse scholars who are the advanced practice clinical nurse experts are now enrolled in nursing doctoral programs. This indicator coupled with the established role of nursing within the pediatric cooperative group ensures a productive future of nursing contributions to the scientific mission of the COG. As we move forward from the Summit, our desire as nurses to improve care outcomes for all children/adolescents who will experience cancer in their childhood years and for their families will be fostered by: maintaining the collaborative spirit that seeks critique of our research from nurses and non-nurses, providing opportunities to facilitate intellectual interests of others, and being mindful of the research priorities of partner organizations.
REFERENCES 1. Ruccione KS, Hinds PS, DeSwarte Wallace J, et al. Creating a novel structure for nursing research in a cooperative clinical trials group: The Children’s Oncology Group Experience. Semin Oncol Nurs 2005;21:79-88. 2. Hare M, Hinds PS, Stewart J. Moving the research agenda forward for children and adolescents with cancer. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs 2004;21:186-188.
Pamela S. Hinds, PhD, RN Director of Nursing Research St Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memphis, TN Joetta DeSwarte Wallace, MSN, RN Clinical Nurse Specialist Pediatric Oncology Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, CA
© 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.soncn.2004.12.001