Role and Responsibility of oncology nurses from their point of view

Abstract

Nurses are one of the most important members of an interdisciplinary team in clinical practice, especially in the field of oncology. Despite this, in the Republic of Kazakhstan, there is a lack of clarity regarding the roles, responsibilities, and unique contributions of a oncology nurse. The role and responsibility of oncology nurse were studied in order to make visible their job to peers and Kazakhstan society with the aim of offering further recommendations for improving oncological services. In this qualitative study, 63 oncology nurses divided into the six focus group were selected. After data collection, all focus group interviews were transcribed and analyzed by using content analysis method. The roles and responsibilities of oncology nurse were identified in the six main categories: role in symptom assessment, monitoring of patients and their family members; the psychological role of supporting the patient; information giving and patient\relatives education; current responsibilities and nursing responsibilities management. Results showed that the nurses are an active participant in the management of an oncology patient and plays an important role in his care, treatment, and rehabilitation, but nurses have a limited role as an independent member of an interdisciplinary team. It is necessary to review the roles, responsibilities, training, career development, and capabilities of an oncology nurse in Kazakhstan