Caring in Cancer Patient during Covid-19 Pandemic: A literature review

Abstract

ABSTRACT During this Coronavirus disease-19 (Covid -19) Pandemic, the challenges for appropriate and safe delivery nursing care is becoming main concerns since cancer patients are at high risk to be infected. Oncology nurse must reassure that the patients still get the optimal treatment while in other part they have to keep their patients safe. However, the change of provision of care in order to protect cancer patients must pay more attention. The aim of this paper was to review the literature on both the impact of Covid 19 to the provision of cancer care and nursing workforce. The implications of these findings for cancer patients will also be discussed. The electronic Science direct, Googlescholar and Pubmed databases were used to identify relevant articles. A combination of keywords: cancer, care, Corona virus 19, Covid-19 and Pandemic were used to identify relevant articles. Ten articles were included in the review. The broad issues were the impact of Covid 19 on nursing delivery care and the impact to the workforce. In terms of cancer care delivery, the Oncology teams are adopting new ways to minimise the risk of Covid 19 to the patients and their staff while at the similar times they have to reassure that the patients get the optimum care. Triage patients, adjusting treatment and limitation of visitor’s access to the patients is kind of changes that could do. A serious shortage and the availability of personal protective equipment are the major concern in nursing workforce changes during this pandemic. Planning or resuming cancer treatment and screening to mitigate the risk is the most important way to get the best outcomes. Hence, nurse has been pushed to adapt quickly and give their optimum nursing care to patients as well as protect themselves from cross infection Keywords: Covid-19, cancer, nursing care