12th EBMT Nurses International Study Day [Virtual]

Thursday 8th October, 2020

Summary by Marijke Quaghebeur, member of the Nurses Group Scientific Committee and Board Member of the Belgian Haematological Society Nurses Group. Works as a clinical nurse specialist in haematology and HSCT at the University Hospital Gent, Belgium.

Being an adult donor for your sibling.

Annika Kisch gave us a nice overview of the guidelines about a potential sibling donor. Beside a description of the donor procedures, she mentioned the ethical aspects in sibling stem cell donation. An allogeneic donor suitability shall be evaluated by a licenced health care professional who is not primary health care professional overseeing care of the recipient. We got insights in the vulnerable situation of a sibling donor with a mix of experiences.

Being a paediatric donor for your sibling.

Daphna Hutt started with explaining that sibling donors are regulated by the culture and the family system. Besides this, there are important psychological aspects of minor’s donation. Minor sibling donors feel responsibility for the outcome, have a combination of both positive and negative effects and experience pressure. An interesting topic was the parents view on minors’ donation.  As conclusion, it stays important to increase awareness of paediatric donor situations and adherence to the requirement for dedicated staff to support and follow up with the minor donor. 

Transition from childhood-adolescent: nursing perspective in haematology and stem cell transplantation.

Johan De Munter showed us during his presentation ‘the care for the care gap’. In improving transitional care, there is a role of handoffs and discharge checklist in haematological malignancies. The adolescence is a time of change. Nurses play a key role in transition. But most important: transition is a process where adolescents are prepared and guided to take charge of their lives and health care. It is about empowerment and awareness on both sides. Finally, transition is also included in the latest JACIE standards.

Nurses challenges in viral infection control of post-transplant survivalship.

Martine Heylens took us through the risks of CMV reactivation/CMV infection during and after an allogeneic transplant. As a nurse, what will be detected and what we have to know about one of the most important viral infections after transplantation.

Optimal use and education growth factors for stem cell transplant donors and recipients.

Marijke Quaghebeur gave an overview how to mobilise auto and allogeneic donors. Beside this, the different growth factors and most used mobilization regimens were described. Well trained nurses are essential in patient education about the prescribed growth factors (G-CSF) and their side effects. Finally, do nurses know what to do with poor autologous stem cell mobilizers? As mentioned in previous presentations about donors, do not forget as health care professional the psychological impact.

CAR T cell therapy: how patients cope?

Surabhi Chaturvedi gave us a thoroughly overview of the used psychological assessments of patients undergoing CAR-T therapy. In her hospital, a mix of questionnaires, as well clinical interviews are used to understand the unique situation of the CAR-T cell patients. She brought us some key qualitative themes like expressed disease –related anxiety and death anxiety. Although many patients expressed gratitude for being able to access CAR-cell. Responding to the psychological needs of this group, the role of the psychological therapist, clinical nurse specialists and ward nurses are crucial.

When should we start to speak about vaccination? Advances in immunotherapy.

Iris Agreiter started with the question why vaccination is necessary post HSCT. The main presentation was about vaccination and a useful overview was given about the different types of vaccinations. The optimal time to receive a vaccination was also mentioned. Iris described in the second part of her presentation the advances in immunotherapy, for example dentritic cells and individualised vaccination of AML patients in remission.

GvHD eye and genital, practical tips for nurses.

Angela Leather brought us a very practical and useful presentation about diagnose and tips when taking care for patients with genital GvHD. It often starts about 10 months post transplant. Genital GvHD is commonly associated with other areas of GvHD.  Sandra Schonfeld explained the definition and symptoms of ocular GvHD. There is an increasing incidence (50-80%) and she mentioned the implications for nurses with tips about taking care of ocular GvHD.     

Advanced cancer care in cellular therapy: a multidisciplinary approach. 

Advanced care planning is a continuous process of communication that enables enables patients and their families to define goals and preferences for future medical treatment and care. Engagement in advanced care planning and completion of advanced directives is low in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and should be encouraged. This can be done by assessing what the understanding is of patient of his/her illness and by actively and repeatedly evaluating the willingness of patients to engage in advanced care planning.