Page 7 - 2022-23 UHN Nursing Annual Report

7

NPs Help to Close
Gaps in Cancer Care

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s
nurse-led Malignant Hematology Day Unit

Nurse Practitioners Joy (E Jin) Kim and Dior Caruso exemplify how
nurse-led clinics enhance patient care and can close gaps in health care.
In the Malignant Hematology Day Unit (MHDU) at Princess Margaret,
they work in a highly autonomous clinical setting that enables them
to spend more time with patients.
They are able to get to know their patients and develop strong therapeutic
relationships built on trust and understanding. “It helps patients physically,
as well as emotionally, to receive support throughout their cancer journey
from diagnosis to end-of-life care,” says Dior. Benefits to patients include
more clinician availability, the ability to receive closer follow-up visits and
increased continuity of care.
“The NP role allows us to work independently to make decisions within
our scope of practice that can save time, such as prescribing supportive
medications while patients undergo chemotherapy treatment or providing
transfusion support,” says Joy. “We provide a lot of essential teaching and
education to patients and their families.”
Many new lines of therapy mean there are more complex patients with
improved survival rates. This means that, fortunately, patients are living
longer. It also means they have increased symptoms that require close
monitoring from a health-care provider, and an NP can do that. As a result,
Dior and Joy can often see patients weekly, or even up to two or three
times a week if needed. Regular visits to the MHDU can also reduce extra
visits to the Emergency Department.
Dior and Joy also engage in teaching with nurse colleagues. For example,
they took part in the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Multiple Myeloma
Day, organized with U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Pictured L to R: Joy (E Jin) Kim and Dior Caruso