Celebrating the work of research nurses in the ECMC network
To coincide with 'International Nurses Day' and 2020 being 'The Year of the Nurse', we spoke to two research nurses in the ECMC network to find out more about their roles and how COVID-19 has impacted them.
Hannah Holdsworth, Leicester ECMC
How does the ECMC network help people with cancer?
The ECMC network supports pioneering, early-stage clinical trials and translation of scientific discoveries into new cancer treatments for patients. This can offer people hope when they’re running low on treatment options and allow them to contribute towards developing treatments for future generations.
What is the most rewarding part of being a research nurse?
Meeting patients who have exhausted standard of care treatments and have reached early phase trials as a last resort can be very rewarding. They place their trust in us to work in their best interest. This can be nerve-wracking for patients new to research. Their visits can be intense and long, with multiple blood samples and strict timings. The upside of this is that we can build strong rapports with the patient and family over a short period of time.
What is the most challenging part of your role?
Trying to decipher complex intervention trial protocols!
What has the impact of COVID-19 been on your day-to-day role and that of your colleagues?
COVID-19 has had a big impact on the teams’ day to day role as recruitment to existing trials and the opening of new trials have been put on hold. We’re still administering IV treatments to most of the existing patients, screening (temperature checks and questioning) prior to them entering. The level of PPE worn has been challenging in that it creates a barrier when communicating with patients, but they’ve been very understanding. Where possible, telephone visits are performed with medication couriered out.
Early on we were asked to write our preferences for redeployment and attended various training to refresh our ward knowledge. Thankfully despite the preparation, redeployment has not yet been required. Our facility has been very lucky to be able to continue treating patients on priority trials and to have the opportunity to contribute towards the COVID-19 trials RECOVERY and ISARIC, as well as lead on the REMAP-CAP trial for our hospital. I think our ability to pick apart very complex protocols has definitely helped with delivery of REMAP-CAP!
Do you have any thoughts or concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on the return to research activity within the ECMC network?
I do have concerns about what the new “normal” is and how we move forward with opening new trials and prioritising them. I feel sad for those patients whose opportunity to participate in trials may have been missed, but I know that the ECMC network will continue to support each other and learn from one another in these unusual times.
Emily Blyth, Glasgow paediatric ECMC
How does the ECMC network help people with cancer?
The ECMC Network allows dedicated Research Nurses at sites. This allows time to provide help and support to patients (and their families) receiving experimental treatment. It also allows me as an ECMC Research Nurse to seek help from other Research Nurses who may have already given this therapy in order to provide the best care for my patients.
What is the most rewarding part of being a research nurse?
Being a Research Nurse is different every day. I love learning new things. I take pride in the fact that we can provide experimental treatment to our patients whom there would be no other treatment options for.
What is the most challenging part of your role?
There are many different challenges we face as ECMC Research Nurses. New treatment options provide potential training issues with ward staff which can take up a lot of time. Hospital and Ward policies sometimes have to be changed and reviewed requiring in depth communication prior to a study opening and a therapy being able to be administered.
What has the impact of COVID-19 been on your day-to-day role and that of your colleagues?
Since the COVID 19 outbreak I have been partially redeployed to help our Oncology Outreach Nursing Team to help keep patients at home where possible. This has put time pressures on myself with trying to split time between seeing patients in the community and finding time to continue communication with the Research Team in order to facilitate the continuation of set up of early phase studies.
Do you have any thoughts or concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on the return to research activity within the ECMC network?
I think there will be a massive change in the way we work as a unit post COVID 19. Before we can return to normality of even allowing Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) etc in to our Hospital Building a lot of discussions will need to take place. I think it will be a long time before we have the ability to recruit to Early Phase Studies again. We are currently trying to organise a Research video call to catch up as a Team and discuss how we would plan to return to our new “normal”