Model quality assurance program for radiation oncology nursing.

The first step in developing a quality assurance program for radiation oncology nursing is to define the services the nurse should provide to the patient receiving radiation therapy. The focus of radiation oncology nurses should be quality of life issues provided through their roles as teachers, direct care givers, and counselors. With this focus in mind, a three-phase plan was developed at Fox Chase Cancer Center to operationalize a quality assurance program for radiation oncology nursing based on Guidelines for cancer nursing practice by the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) and the American Nurses' Association (ANA).