The integration of advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) into healthcare settings has significantly transformed patient care, particularly within systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) clinics. This service evaluation aims to set out the contributions of ANPs to enhancing patient outcomes, accessibility, and communication in SACT clinics. A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from adult cancer patients receiving SACT treatment at two private care medical day units, on two separate sites, within one NHS Foundation Trust specialist cancer hospital over a 6-month period. The findings reveal that ANPs issued a substantial number of prescriptions, engaged effectively with multidisciplinary teams, and maintained high standards of patient safety. Despite some limitations in data collection, the results underscore the positive impact of ANPs on patient management and the potential for further development of their roles in oncology settings. Future initiatives should focus on refining data collection methods and exploring patient perceptions of ANP-led care to enhance the overall effectiveness of SACT clinics.
Gahan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.