| Abstract: |
Nurse leaders supported the culture change and acted as catalysts for acceptance of the innovation. Identifying early adopters and engaging key stakeholders provided an opportunity to receive and incorporate feedback from the nursing staff (see Figure 6). Enhancements to the secure messaging application, made at regular intervals, signaled to the nursing staff the importance of their feedback. Granting nurses the ability to influence portal development builds interest in the system and the resulting implications for nursing practice. Electronic communication with patients presents an opportunity to move away from the idea of a patient visit being a single in-person event to an ongoing relationship. In the outpatient setting, oncology nurses care for patients along the entire care continuum-from diagnosis, through treatment, and to survivorship or death. The incorporation of secure messaging to oncology practice offers nurses and patients a unique alternative that allows more frequent and timely communication between nurses and patients. The patient portal offers patients timely access to information about their health care in a secure and safe environment. |
