Increasing Expertise for Treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
An educational activity provided by i3 Health has bridged knowledge gaps experienced by nursing professionals and other health care professionals on the topic of treatment strategies for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
Accounting for 4% of all cancers diagnosed, NHL is one of the most common cancer types in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimated that 80,470 new diagnoses of NHL will occur in 2022, with 20,250 resulting in death. Aggressive subtypes, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), are challenging to treat, and the prognosis is often poor. Compared with other aggressive lymphomas, MCL often does not respond as well to treatment. Consensus on the optimal therapeutic approach for individual patients has yet to be established, and practice patterns of health care providers frequently do not align with expert recommendations.
To address the knowledge gaps experienced by nursing professionals encompassing updated data and treatment strategies for NHL, i3 Health provided a nursing continuing professional development (NCPD)–approved online virtual symposium, Oncology Nursing Showdown! Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Edition. Following the symposium, i3 Health made three online enduring activity modules available on their website for learners to participate if they were unable to attend the live event. The activity was led by Maria Badillo, MSN, RN, OCN®, CCRP, Research Nurse Manager of the Mantle Cell Lymphoma/Myeloma Department at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center. This activity was supported by independent educational grants from Seagen Inc., Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company, and Janssen Biotech, Inc.
Learners who participated in this activity either attended the online virtual symposium on April 27, 2021, or engaged via the online enduring activity available May 13, 2021, through May 12, 2022. Between the live symposium and the online modules, a total of 580 learners participated, and 365 completed the activity for credit. Most participants were registered nurses, followed by nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, advanced practice nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and those who chose "other" as their profession.
The baseline data collected revealed knowledge gaps in the following areas: evaluating guideline recommendations for the management of individual patients with aggressive NHL, assessing emerging data on novel therapies for advanced aggressive NHL, and applying strategies to manage adverse events and optimize treatment experiences for patients receiving novel therapies for advanced aggressive NHL.
Participants were given a matching pretest and posttest at the beginning and end of the activity, respectively. The pretest revealed knowledge gaps with only 42% of participants successfully identifying bone marrow involvement as a risk factor for tumor lysis syndrome; 76% successful in identifying tocilizumab or siltuximab plus corticosteroids and supportive care as an effective management strategy for cytokine release syndrome; 51% successful in understanding cancer staging for MCL; 27% successful in understanding atrial fibrillation as the most likely reason for discontinuation in a patient receiving ibrutinib; only 17% successful in understanding that grade 1 brentuximab vedotin–related peripheral neuropathy will most likely resolve; and 60% successful in identifying infusion reaction as the adverse event most likely to be experienced by a patient receiving mogamulizumab.
The posttest assessment revealed significant knowledge gains for each learning outcome, with an increase of 51% more participants understanding risk factors for tumor lysis syndrome; 20% more understanding management of cytokine release syndrome; 39% more understanding cancer staging for MCL; 59% more understanding ibrutinib-associated adverse events; 68% more understanding adverse event management for brentuximab vedotin; and 27% more understanding adverse events associated with mogamulizumab.
Upon completion of the activity, 86% of participants reported that they felt more confident in treating their patients with NHL, and 87% felt that the material presented would be used to improve the outcomes of their patients with NHL.
The data revealed by the posttest assessment affirm the effectiveness of the online educational content and the knowledge gains made regarding up-to-date treatment strategies for NHL. i3 Health has determined that the multidisciplinary team may benefit from CME/NCPD activities that provide education on guideline recommendations for treatment and management, emerging data on novel therapies, and adverse event management and optimization of treatment experiences.
Resources
i3 Health (2022). Oncology nursing showdown! Aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma edition: outcomes report. Data on file.
