ONCOLOGY NURSING RESEARCH PRIORITIES - A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to determine oncology nursing research pr iorities among Canadian oncology nurses. The following two groups of n urses were mailed survey questionnaires: oncology nurse researchers an d nurses working in oncology clinical settings who were members of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO). The questionnaire was based on prior Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) research surveys and the oncology nursing literature. It instructed participants to rank f rom a list of topics the five they perceived as research priorities. T he response rate was 31% (249/810)for CANO members and 41% (32/78)for nurse researchers. The top five research priorities for CANO members w ere communication, symptom management, quality of life, pain control/m anagement, and standards of practice. The top five research priorities far nurse researchers were pain control/management, family issues, pa tient participation in decision making, symptom management, and commun ication. Many of the same topics appeared in the priority lists of bot h the CANO members and the nurse researchers. However the rank orderin g of topics was not identical. The lists of CANO members contained bot h clinical and professional issues, whereas the researchers' lists foc used primarily on clinical issues. The findings provide the basis for developing a Canadian national oncology nursing research agenda. In ad dition the findings provide direction for practice and education strat egic plans as well as information to guide decision making around rese arch funding.