New identities: the changing profile of patients with cancer, their families, and their professional caregivers.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To discuss and project cancer care needs and a vision of oncology nursing in the next century.

DATA SOURCES

Scholarly, professional, and governmental sources of information.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Projections of a changed patient/family profile, social support dilemmas, and a new "hybrid" oncology nurse.

CONCLUSIONS

Opportunities for nurses, resulting from these projections, include roles as minority needs specialist, director of new care-delivery models, facilitator of intergenerational support teams, overseer of neighborhood-based care systems, multispecialty nursing care provider, cancer care policy activist.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nursing education, community models, and current care-delivery settings will all be affected by the projected changes and will all need to consider adjusting to meet the demands that will be placed on them to facilitate change.