Lymphedema Knowledge and Practice Patterns Among Oncology Nurse Navigators.

Cancer survivorship is a continuum spanning diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Oncology nurse navigators educate and support cancer survivors who face long-term adverse effects of cancer treatment such as lymphedema. This Web-based study investigated the knowledge, perceived competence, and practice patterns of lymphedema care of oncology nurse navigators. Invitation to the study was sent to 2510 randomly selected nurses who were likely to provide lymphedema care. A total of 238 nurses in clinical practice constituted the final sample for analysis. Oncology nurses were grouped according to primary nursing role: oncology nurse navigators, advanced practice nurses, directors/ managers/coordinators, and staff nurses. Perceived knowledge and perceived competence in lymphedema risk reduction, treatment, and self-management were evaluated as well as practice patterns of lymphedema care and actual lymphedema knowledge. Analyses included descriptive, comparative, and logistic regression. A strong relationship between perceived knowledge and perceived competence for all 3 areas of lymphedema care was identified. Oncology nurse navigators demonstrated the highest perceived knowledge and perceived competence in lymphedema risk reduction and had increased odds of providing education regarding lymphedema risk reduction compared with the other nurse groups. Overall, actual knowledge of lymphedema was relatively low, but oncology nurse navigators had more actual knowledge than other nurses. Oncology nurse navigators also had increased odds of delivering lymphedema risk reduction when compared with other nurses. Through education and support, oncology nurse navigators can make valuable contributions to cancer survivors and positively impact cancer survivors' quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]