Oncology Nursing During a Pandemic: Critical Reflections in the Context of COVID-19

Abstract

Objectives: To provide a critical reflection of COVID-19 in the context of oncology nursing and provide recommendations for caring for people affected by cancer during this pandemic.

Data sources: Electronic databases, including CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Scopus, professional web sites, and grey literature were searched using Google Scholar.

Conclusion: Nurses are key stakeholders in developing and implementing policies regarding standards of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic poses several challenges for oncology services. Oncology nurses are providing a pivotal role in the care and management of the novel COVID-19 in the year landmarked as the International Year of the Nurse.

Implications for nursing practice: It is too early to tell what shape this pandemic will take and its impact on oncology care. However, several important clinical considerations have been discussed to inform oncology nursing care and practice.

Keywords: COVID-19; Oncology nursing; coronavirus; pandemic; supportive care; workforce.

Fig. 1

World Health Organization COVID-19 global distribution.

Fig. 2

A public health approach to epidemiology.

Fig. 3

Public health core sciences.

Fig. 4

Illustration of the nursing workforce during a pandemic.

Fig. 5

Algorithm for staff deployment to labor pools while ensuring core staff in specialty areas such as cancer care.

Fig. 6

Exemplar oncology incident command structure.