Implementation of Kidney Cancer-Specific Training for Clinical Research Nurses
Abstract
Clinical trial development has been critical for improving the outcomes of patients with kidney cancer, with the approval of 13 new treatments in the last 15 years. With proper oversight, clinical trials provide patients safe, early access to new medications that are promising. However, access to these novel treatments can be limited by the availability of expertise. Clinical research nurses (CRNs) are critical members of the patient s medical team that ensure that new medications can be delivered ethically, safely, and effectively. We hypothesize that having CRNs that are specialized in kidney cancer will improve the safety and tolerability of investigational treatments for patients treated in clinical trials by improving the management of side-effects and making sure patients adhere to the schedule and rules of the clinical trial. To foster the development of disease-specific CRNs, we propose a project with two specific aims: Specific Aim 1: To establish a kidney cancer-specific fellowship program for CRNs Specific Aim 2: To conduct a pilot research project providing research training experience to CRNs Currently, therapeutic clinical trials at our main campus are supported by three kidney cancer-specific CRNs, who collectively have 48 years of clinical trial experience and 53 years of dedicated kidney cancer experience. Additionally, 28 non-disease-specific CRNs at our 6 regional network sites support clinical trials. Our proposed fellowship program will identify promising CRNs from our regional network to undergo rigorous, specialized training in kidney cancer. The program will include direct 1:1 mentoring by experienced kidney cancer-specialized CRNs and lectures on topics including kidney cancer pathophysiology treatment and the clinical research regulatory process. To provide greater exposure to clinical research, trainees will also lead a kidney cancer research project in collaboration with a physician mentor. The pilot research project will investigate the safety and quality of care when CRNs interact with patients using telemedicine. This project will not only give trainees the opportunity to participate in clinical research but also provide the preliminary safety data and quality data to allow for greater distribution of clinical trial nursing expertise in the future. The research plan supports the development of CRN trainees into independent, kidney cancer-specialized CRNs by providing direct mentoring with experienced CRN mentors with kidney cancer expertise to further clinical trial knowledge and direct mentoring with physician mentors when conducting a kidney cancer research project. After completing the fellowship program, CRN trainees will have developed the clinical and research knowledge necessary to become leaders and experts in kidney cancer, thereby improving management of side-effects and making sure patients follow the rules of the clinical trial. After implementing our program, kidney cancer-specialized CRNs will be an integral part of the clinical team who are at the forefront of kidney cancer research and patient care at our institution. This work will help patients with kidney cancer who are on clinical trials at our institution by improving their care, their side-effects management, and their adherence to the rules of clinical trials. The clinical applications are the incorporation of CRNs with kidney cancer-specific knowledge and expertise into clinical trials and patient care. The benefits are improving patient care in kidney cancer clinical trials. The projected time to achieve a patient-related outcome is two years, as we will have established a pool of CRNs with kidney cancer-specific knowledge and expertise to treat patients at our institution. Together, this project proposal addresses the critical need to expand to expand access to kidney cancer-specific CRNs. By establishing a rigorous curriculum of fellowship training in Specific Aim 1, we will increa
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110732
Entities
People
- Lauren Evans
Organizations
- Sloan-Kettering Institute
- United States Army