Role of NPs
Nurse practitioners in cancer screening provide patients with procedures and further surveillance. According to multiple pieces of researches, there is no big difference between the treatment of NPs and doctors. In addition, patients managed by nurse practitioners receive equal-level care compared to patients cured by doctors. Moreover, nurse practitioners’ contribution to patients with oncology is enormous because they treat people almost on the same level as professional physicians. Furthermore, they are more likely to recommend preventive measures. It is also interesting that patients who were under female nurse practitioners’ surveillance tended to complete the cancer screening more frequently than under the control of NPs of other genders (Martin et al., 2017). Compared to physicians, NPs had bigger rates of cancer screening.
Ethical issues in cancer prevention and treatment
It is important to consider that nurse practitioners are in constant communication with patients, as doctors are not always available. As nurse practitioners communicate with patients frequently, they have to obtain competence in medical and ethical issues. NPs should be able to explain to patients with oncology the aspects of the diagnosis when the doctor is not around. They also can dwell on the side effects of the disease (Sundus et al., 2018). Overall, due to NPs’ contribution, patients’ treatment might be more effective than under the surveillance of a single doctor.
References
Martin, K., Vogel, R. I., Nagler, R. H., Wyman, J. F., Raymond, N., Teoh, D., Allen, A. M., Talley, K. M., Mason, S., & Blaes, A. H. (2020). Mammography Screening Practices in Average-Risk Women Aged 40–49 Years in Primary Care: A Comparison of Physician and Nonphysician Providers in Minnesota. Journal of Women’s Health, 29(1), 91–99. Web.
Sundus A., Ismail, N. E. & Gnanasan, S. (2018). Exploration of healthcare practitioner’s perception regarding pharmacist’s role in cancer palliative care, Malaysia. Pharmacophore, 9(4), 1-7.