“We call it an oncologic emergency for a reason. Even though it’s usually not life threatening, the longer we wait, the more debilitating and devastating the side effects will be,” ONS member Jennifer Webster, MN, RN, AOCNS®, MPH, clinical nurse specialist at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and member of the Metro Atlanta ONS Chapter, said during her conversation with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. The nurses talked about the importance of early identification and intervention for malignant spinal cord compression and other nursing considerations for the oncologic emergency. This episode is a part of a series about oncologic emergencies; the previous episodes are linked below. You can also earn free NCPD contact hours by completing the evaluation linked below.

Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of NCPD by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Episode Notes

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

• The NCPD activity for this episode has expired, but you can still earn NCPD through many other Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes. Find a full list of opportunities.
• Previous Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes on oncologic emergencies
• ONS Huddle Card™: Spinal Cord Compression
• ONS books:
  • Understanding and Managing Oncologic Emergencies: A Resource for Nurses (third edition)
  • Clinical Manual for the Oncology Advanced Practice Nurse (fourth edition) 
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
  • STAT: Spinal Cord Compression
  • Back Pain: Is It Spinal Cord Compression?
  • Nurse, My Back Hurts: Understanding Malignant Spinal Cord Compression
• Oncology Nursing Forum article: Oncology Emergency Modules: Spinal Cord Compression
• American Cancer Society information on bone metastasis and spinal cord compression
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society information on multiple myeloma and spinal cord compression
• Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation

To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email [email protected].