Melanoma Care Options™: Nursing Update

Melanoma Care Options™: Nursing Update is based on a case-based approach to nursing issues in primary, regional, and distant disease. The approach is multidisciplinary and includes the perspectives of the entire faculty listed below:

Rosemary Giuliano, ARNP, MSN, oncology nurse practitioner
Krista Rubin, MS, RN, FNP-C, oncology nurse practitioner
Sanjiv Agarwala, MD , medical oncologist
J. Michael Hayes, PharmD, hospital pharmacist
Alan Valentine, MD, psychiatrist

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Continuing Nursing Education Information

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of registered nurses involved in the management of patients with melanoma.

Statement of Need/Program Overview

The oncology nurse plays a key role in the overall education and care of patients with melanoma. While the surgical oncologist or medical oncologist is guiding the overall course of therapy for the patient with diagnosed disease, the oncology nurse typically spends more time educating and caring for the patient. He/she is often the sentry monitoring the patient’s overall health and response to therapy. Since melanoma therapy can be associated with challenging adverse events, the nurse has a special role in ensuring that patients stay on therapy. To do so, he/she must have a firm understanding of the science behind the therapies (in terms of markers of efficacy and mechanisms/timing of toxicity) and the tricks of the trade that make a difference in keeping patients on therapy. In addition, the advanced practice nurse may be in the position to prescribe therapy, monitor for drug interactions, and manage the adverse events in these patients.

Purpose

Provide case-based information on care of the melanoma patient

Educational Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Define the role of the oncology nurse in educating patients at various stages of melanoma progression
• Report on a comparison of available therapies for the management of melanoma
• Describe interventions addressing adverse events of systemic therapies for melanoma

Faculty

Sanjiv S. Agarwala, MD
Chief
Department of Oncology
St. Luke’s Medical Center
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Rosemary Giuliano, ARNP, MSN
Surgical Hospitalist
Morton Plant Mease Health Care
New Port Richey, Florida

J. Michael Hayes, PharmD, RPh
Drug Information Coordinator
Drug Information/Investigational Drug Services
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
Department of Pharmacy
Tampa, Florida

Krista M. Rubin, MS, RN, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner, Center for Melanoma
Massachusetts General Hospital
Division of Hematology/Oncology
Boston, Massachusetts

Alan Valentine, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Accreditation Statements

CNA/ANCC

This educational activity for 1.4 contact hours is provided by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM).

PIM is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Colorado Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

California Board of Registered Nursing

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 13485, for 1.4 contact hours.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) assesses conflict of interest with its instructors, planners, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of CE activities. All relevant conflicts of interest that are identified are thoroughly vetted by PIM for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies utilized in this activity, and patient care recommendations. PIM is committed to providing its learners with high-quality CE activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CE activity:

The planners and managers reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CE activity:

Method of Participation

There are no fees for participating and receiving CE credit for this activity. During the period January 2007 through January 31, 2008, participants must 1) read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures; 2) study the educational activity; 3) complete the posttest by recording the best answer to each question in the answer key on the evaluation form; 4) complete the evaluation form; and 5) mail or fax the evaluation form with answer key to Postgraduate Institute for Medicine.

A statement of credit will be issued only upon receipt of a completed activity evaluation form and a completed posttest with a score of 70% or better. Your statement of credit will be mailed to you within three weeks.

Media

Monograph

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM), PharmAdura, LLC, and Schering-Plough do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of PIM, PharmAdura, LLC, or Schering-Plough. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.