Abstract
Significance/Background: Outpatient oncology infusion areas are high-volume, high-acuity environments where nurses must rapidly adapt to evolving therapies. Yet, nurse-centered education often lags behind, contributing to frustration, workflow inefficiencies, and safety concerns. A newly created NPD specialist role—dedicated to infusion/procedural areas—offered an opportunity to close persistent gaps.
Environmental scanning revealed inconsistent, pharmacy-driven education lacking nursing-specific content (e.g., hypersensitivity risk, treatment parameters, symptom management). Nurses described feeling overlooked and unprepared.
Interdisciplinary collaboration was viewed as ineffective, and last-minute education failed to support safe administration of high-risk therapies.
Purpose: To advocate for nursing representation in decision-making, establish interdisciplinary partnerships, and deliver timely, relevant education that supports safe, efficient oncology infusion care.
Interventions: The NPD specialist advocated for nursing inclusion on the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee—securing a first-ever seat to influence formulary decisions and proactively plan education. Strategic partnerships with pharmacy embedded nursing considerations into treatment plans, reducing vague orders and clarifying expectations.
Education transitioned from reactive to proactive and included:
-Interactive, nursing-focused presentations on new treatments
-Microlearning tools aligned with infusion workflows
-Continuing education contact hours
-Clear documentation for post-reaction care, PRNs, and monitoring
Outcomes/Impact: The initiative yielded measurable and cultural improvements:
-Staff rating nurse-pharmacy collaboration as “effective” rose from 50% to 71%
-Agreement that adequate resources were available increased from 43% to 79%
-Clarity of education processes improved from 21% to 71%
-Over 90% affirmed that the infusion NPD role enhanced safe care delivery
Team morale also improved as nurses felt seen, supported, and empowered. Increased confidence, trust in interdisciplinary communication, and professional growth contributed to a more collaborative, resilient infusion environment.
Conclusion: This NPD-led initiative demonstrates how nurse advocacy for collaboration can transform education, elevate nursing voice, and strengthen cross-functional partnerships. By “building the bridge” between nursing and pharmacy, advanced safety, efficiency, and educational equity was created in oncology care.
Notes
Presenter notes available in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Zeta Gamma
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Interprofessional Initiatives, Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary, Interprofessional Collaboration, Professional Development, Nursing Practice, Clinical Competence, Oncology Nursing, Intravenous Therapy
Recommended Citation
Ridgeway, Tara, "Building the Bridge: Infusing Collaboration into Frontline Oncology Practice" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 37.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/37
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-04-27
Building the Bridge: Infusing Collaboration into Frontline Oncology Practice
Washington, DC, USA
Significance/Background: Outpatient oncology infusion areas are high-volume, high-acuity environments where nurses must rapidly adapt to evolving therapies. Yet, nurse-centered education often lags behind, contributing to frustration, workflow inefficiencies, and safety concerns. A newly created NPD specialist role—dedicated to infusion/procedural areas—offered an opportunity to close persistent gaps.
Environmental scanning revealed inconsistent, pharmacy-driven education lacking nursing-specific content (e.g., hypersensitivity risk, treatment parameters, symptom management). Nurses described feeling overlooked and unprepared.
Interdisciplinary collaboration was viewed as ineffective, and last-minute education failed to support safe administration of high-risk therapies.
Purpose: To advocate for nursing representation in decision-making, establish interdisciplinary partnerships, and deliver timely, relevant education that supports safe, efficient oncology infusion care.
Interventions: The NPD specialist advocated for nursing inclusion on the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee—securing a first-ever seat to influence formulary decisions and proactively plan education. Strategic partnerships with pharmacy embedded nursing considerations into treatment plans, reducing vague orders and clarifying expectations.
Education transitioned from reactive to proactive and included:
-Interactive, nursing-focused presentations on new treatments
-Microlearning tools aligned with infusion workflows
-Continuing education contact hours
-Clear documentation for post-reaction care, PRNs, and monitoring
Outcomes/Impact: The initiative yielded measurable and cultural improvements:
-Staff rating nurse-pharmacy collaboration as “effective” rose from 50% to 71%
-Agreement that adequate resources were available increased from 43% to 79%
-Clarity of education processes improved from 21% to 71%
-Over 90% affirmed that the infusion NPD role enhanced safe care delivery
Team morale also improved as nurses felt seen, supported, and empowered. Increased confidence, trust in interdisciplinary communication, and professional growth contributed to a more collaborative, resilient infusion environment.
Conclusion: This NPD-led initiative demonstrates how nurse advocacy for collaboration can transform education, elevate nursing voice, and strengthen cross-functional partnerships. By “building the bridge” between nursing and pharmacy, advanced safety, efficiency, and educational equity was created in oncology care.
Description
Learn how nurse-led advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration transformed oncology infusion education—improving nurse confidence, communication, and patient safety. Discover strategies for securing nursing representation in decision-making spaces and delivering workflow-informed education that strengthens team morale and frontline practice.