‘Why caregivers must tell cancer patients the truth’

Head, Oncology Nurse, Lakeshore Cancer Centre (LCC), Emeribe Uchenna, has advised nurses to be thorough when explaining cancer patient’s health condition to them, stressing that doing so aids positive outcome, as well as, help them manage expectations.
   
Speaking during the Second Annual LCC Nursing Conference in Lagos, Uchenna advised nurses against underestimating the power of God in performing miracles on cancer patients, just as she wants them to be as humane as possible when presenting the facts.  
   
Uchenna said: “From statistics, many nurses do not know much about cancer, so we are trying to empower our nurses with the right knowledge … Nurses are not to join those that bring patients’ morale down because our aim is to improve patient’s quality of life, even if it is palliative care for stage four cancer. We know at this point, survival chances are almost impossible, but we can limit the growth of the disease.”

To avoid this, we employ breast cancer survivors to do mammogram often. They should complete the treatment and more importantly, do radiotherapy six to eight weeks after the last treatment,” she added.
   
Uchenna said Lakeshore Cancer Centre (LCC) has been at the forefront of helping to bring down the burden in cancer treatment.
   
“LCC has been awarded the Best Cancer Centre in Nigeria because we are at the forefront. This is our first time that we are awarding credit point for the nurses’ training, so we are working with sponsors for next year to help in the end quality care.

According to her, “You don’t have to wait till the end. It begins from stage one and this is one of the things we are missing out in cancer treatment in Nigeria. When some patients are diagnosed, they run away and report when it’s late, that is at stage 4 and we give them the care they want.”
   
On the theme: “Holistic Nursing in Cancer Care: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Principal/Deputy Director, Nursing, School of Nursing, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Niyi Makinde said nurses remained integral to availing any patient complete care, which involves healing the mind, body and soul.

Makinde, who advised nurses to be customer-centric in healthcare delivery, said they were not to force information or decisions on patients.
    
He added that early diagnosis, prompt treatment, social support, and the hope of living were necessary for a cancer patient’s survival.
   
He identified inadequate manpower development, lack of training and retraining to uplift professional skills as reasons why there are few holistic nurses.
   
“Holistic nurses recognise the mental/emotional state of patients. This aspect of nursing should be enshrined in the curricula to boost the nation’s health care delivery. Nurses are good people and should be addressed that way. It is, however, not justifiable for a nurse on duty to be emotional. We also need to educate the society more on this issue,” he added.