Because of the wide range of the geographic locations of the
hospitals and satellites of the Yale Radiation Oncology network,
communication and monitoring of consistency and compliance
to a proposed protocol may be a potential barrier. We plan to
use multiple strategies to increase communication among the
nurses including telephone, e-mail, and teleconferencing where
available and also site visits for in-services and one-on-one contact
where individual assistance is needed.
The protocol development and its adoption involve all 6 steps
developed by Rosswurm and Larrabee.8 We have completed the
first 2 steps in which we assessed the need for change and linked the problem to interventions and outcomes. The key stakeholders
within the network are supportive of the change, including
hospital administration, medical and nursing management, and
radiation staff. The team is currently addressing the third step:
synthesizing the best evidence. The fourth step is to design the
practice change. As a working group, we will report the survey
results to participants and develop the protocol over a series of
meetings for implementation and evaluation. The entire group
of 22 nurses will be asked to select the final assessment tool and
the frequency of administration and the selection of products
and to identify intervention strategies to manage patient skin
reactions. Initially, an invitation to participate in a scheduled
teleconference inviting all 22 radiation oncology nurses will be
distributed. Prior to meetings, all materials to be discussed will
be distributed at least a week before calls. Active participation by
all nurses will be encouraged, and individual follow-up will be
made if additional time is needed. A second teleconference will
be held to review skin assessment tools, discussing the pros and
cons of each, before reaching consensus on the final skin toxicity
assessment tool. Nurses will have an opportunity to review the
tools prior to the meetings.Once a tool has been selected, a draft
protocol will be established. The nurses will be asked to test the
assessment tool with 4 or 5 patients and report their experiences
before the final assessment protocol is established. Additional
teleconferences will be scheduled to discuss the list of products
and interventions used within the network facilities as displayed
in Table 4. Based on evidence-based practice, products for specific
problems will be recommended for use throughout the network.
There will also be guidelines developed for standardizing
procedures for securing consults with experts from other disciplines
when indicated.