A Nurse-Developed Prechemotherapy Education Checklist

Many patients diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy. Oncology nurses are responsible for educating patients prior to the chemotherapy experience. Studies have examined what topics should be covered for such patients and how education should be delivered, but little literature exists regarding how to help nurses organize the data and perform education. This article examines how a community oncology practice developed a checklist to assist oncology nurses in organizing and delivering chemotherapy education to patients. Principles of adult education are reviewed briefly. The principles can aid nurses in understanding how adult patients learn and how sessions can be most effective.