Oncology Nurses’ Knowledge of Pharmacogenomics Before and After Implementation of an Education Module

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of an interactive continuing education module in improving knowledge of pharmacogenomics in oncology nursing practice.

Sample & Setting: 434 inpatient and outpatient oncology nurses from a large teaching hospital in Florida and oncology nurses who practice in North Carolina.

Methods & Variables: An interactive continuing education module was created based on key information elicited from a focus group of inpatient and outpatient oncology nurses regarding their lack of knowledge on pharmacogenomics. A pre-/post-test design was implemented. Purposive sampling of oncology nurses was used.

Results: The mean pretest score was 72.7 and the post-test score was 85.9. A statistically significant difference was found between these scores. No difference in scores were found between the oncology nurses employed at urban hospitals compared to nurses at community hospitals or outpatient settings.

Implications for Nursing: Educational opportunities for pharmacogenomics should be threaded throughout nursing competencies. The continuing education module in the current article has been shown to significantly improve oncology nurses’ knowledge of genomic and pharmacogenomic information.