Evidence Based Article - Essay Example

Risk assessment model for Chemotherapy-induced Neutropenia in Breast cancer Risk assessment model for Chemotherapy-inducedNeutropenia in Breast cancer Summary Implementing an Evidence-Based Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia in Women with Breast Cancer by Li-Lu Chang, Susan M. Schneider, Shao-Chin Chiang and Cheng-Fang Horng is an article that talks about the use of Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) in the treatment of breast Cancer. As the authors state, the survival rate of women who are at the early stages of cancer has improved because of successful application of the chemotherapy regimens.

The authors point that the use of the Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia has caused delays and reductions in patients with early stages of breast cancer and has compromised the treatment outcomes especially with treatable tumors. The authors also state that febrile neutropenia (FN) has shown a high risk for serious complications in cancer patients and requires quick medical intervention for cancer patients. The rates of FN can, therefore, be reduced by the prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor that its efficacy has been proven by several randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis of the trials (Chang, Schneider, Chiang, & Horng, 2013).

The authors advice that clinicians must first assess patients carefully and accurately before introducing chemotherapy and applying primary prophylaxis to patients who are at a greater risk because it is beneficial clinically and is cost effective. The authors also explain that the individual risk assessment for neutropenia events in deciding the use of prophylactic G-CSF, as recommended by different associations on the treatment of cancer, does not give clinicians with a clear way for assessing risks.

They state that the most appropriate risk assessment tool is one that identifies the patients who at high risk of receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy and require G-CSF prophylaxis. They identify a risk model that provides clinically useful information, makes priority recommendations easy to identify, makes the risk score calculation explicit and uses categories and checklists that help in memory recall. They developed the risk assessment model based on the recommendations of three western guidelines (Chang, Schneider, Chiang, & Horng, 2013).

Usefulness in Practice This article is useful in practice especially for the treatment of cancer. Chemotherapy has been used widely but what clinicians have ignored the fact that patients with early stages of breast cancer get scared. The article informs on the use of Chemotherapy-induced neurotropenia as a major cause of dose delays and reduction in patients will early stage breast cancer. The article is important for practice, as it has evaluated he present risk assessment models and its development through a study and came up with a better risk assessment model that surpasses the previous one in terms of usage.

The authors do not just make their recommendation out of simple observation or hearsay but from a detailed study in cancer centers prechemotherapy clinics. The authors rolled out a new risk assessment model based in the findings that they got from the study and based on the recommendations that were given by three western guidelines. As such, the innovative risk assessment tool that they developed can be used for practice in clinics to help in the treatment of breast cancer patients. The article informs usage in practice as it compares the other models with the new one giving advantages of the new one that include the fact that the tool makes priority recommendations easy to identify and uses categories as well as checklists that help with memory recall among other advantages.

Therefore, the article is not just informative but also practical as it gives the real picture of what is done in medical institutions with respect to breast cancer treatment (Chang, Schneider, Chiang, & Horng, 2013). Intended Audience The intended audience for this article is clinicians, medical experts, doctors, medical researchers, cancer experts, organizations including Non-Governmental institutions involved in cancer treatment interventions, companies that produce chemotherapy equipment and medication, the general public especially women who are at risk of breast cancer infection, appropriate for RNs , BSNs, LVNs and medical, nursing and research students.

All these groups are the intended audience for this article because it carries information that affects the public and should be handled by medical experts. It also informs the medical research experts to recognize the new development of an innovative risk assessment model and work towards improving it. This article is significantly informative for the above groups as its audience. In conclusion, the authors have written the article touching extensively on the issue of the risk assessment model for the treatment of breast cancer.

The authors carried out a study, came up with an innovative risk assessment tool that will see the analysis of breast cancer issues become more accurate, and help in identifying high-risk patients who require granulocyte colony-stimulating factor prophylaxis. The article is informative on the risk assessment tool for high-risk breast cancer patients. References Chang, L.-L., Schneider, S. M., Chiang, S.-C., & Horng, C.-F. (2013). Implementing an Evidence-Based Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia in Women With Breast Cancer.

Cancer Nursing, Vol. 36, No. 3., 198-205.