NMIH203 Essay: Chronic Cancer Disease and Nursing in Australia

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of chronic cancer disease in Australia, addressing its prevalence, impacts on individuals, families, and the economy. It analyzes the Australian government's 2014-2019 strategic plan for cancer control, outlining its goals, targeted audiences, and the purpose of the strategy. The essay further explores the enablers and barriers to the plan's success, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, funding, and community awareness. Finally, it details the crucial role of registered nurses in implementing the strategy, including their involvement in patient treatment, education, emotional support, and evaluation of outcomes. The essay highlights the multifaceted nature of cancer control and the significance of a coordinated approach involving government, healthcare professionals, and the community.

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Week 11 NMIH203 Assessment 4
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TOPIC: CHRONIC CANCER DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA
Introduction
Cancer is among the leading mortalities cause annually in Australia. Individual, the
society and the government have a role in ensuring that cancer infection cases are reduced and
people already with cancer are treated and advised appropriately (Marshall et al, 2014). It has so
many severe impacts on the whole nation and the nation should ensure protect the wellbeing of
individuals, families and the ehtire national by preventing the rising cases of reported cancer.
The discussion for this issue will be based on its trend in the country, its impacts, how the
government is handling the issue and show how the registered nurses are involved in
implementing the laid strategies by the government.
Part one
Chronic cancer disease is an issue of concern in modern Australian families. The number
of estimated new cases of cancer this year is about 145,000 and is assumed to go up to 150,000
in a year’s time. It is the most leading illness that causes death annually were 50,000 deaths are
estimated in a year (Miller et al, 2016). In addition, the people who are diagnosed with cancer are
about 69% and they live five years in approximate after the diagnosis.
A great percentage of family members in Australian families suffer from cancer which
renders the family financially unstable due to day in day out expensive treatments which include
therapies to operate on the malignant growth and expensive drugs to curb cancerous pain. It also
brings along drawbacks such as stress when the breadwinners of a family suffer from the disease
and can no longer provide the needs of their families (Gillessen et al, 2018).

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It is a point of concern and must be addressed since it is a big threat to Australian
families. It causes deaths which leave children orphans after the death of their parents and this
causes a burden to the relatives as they become responsible for taking care of the bereaved
children. This is because a large percentage of people who contract cancer are the elderly aged
55 and above (Lobo et al, 2013).
Cancer poses a high burden in the Australian economy (Fitzmaurice et al, 2015). High
dependency ratio in the economy brings about low savings and low investments which turns it
along into a cycle of severe economic problems all amounting to high levels of poverty. The
dependency ratio rises due to treatment-related side effects that cause one unable to raise income
and be able to depend on their income to provide the basic needs (Carter & Nguyen, 2012).
It still causes congestion in health facilities as many people suffering from the disease all
seek for medical support hoping to live longer after being diagnosed with this disease. Statistics
show one in nine hospitalizations are related to cancer (Wongar et al, 2012). This also brings
along a great concentration of the ministry of health as it channels more of its resources to deal
with the disease financing the equipment needed in therapy and expensive drugs administered to
control the rates of the cancerous malignant growths (Haber, 2013).
Cancer causes poor standards of living as people who suffer from it decide to resign from
their jobs due to health issues as cancer is associated with great pains indifferent body organs.
This causes retarded economic growth since the government’s revenue sourced from personal
incomes goes down (Stolnitz, 2017).

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Part Two
THE 2014 - 2019 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CANCER IN AUSTRALIA
The Australian government has laid down a strategic plan running from 2014 to 2019 in
order to address the cancer pandemic. This plan has taken into account the current and projected
effects of cancer with its vision being to minimize the cancer impacts and improve people well-
being for those who are affected by cancer and it aims to strengthen the strategic laid by the
Australian Government and give advice at the same time on cancer measures mostly on its
control and care (Stenberg &Rajan, 2016).
The strategy aims to advance the cancer treatments and equipment used in the treatment
of cancer. The technology used to deal with cancer cases being expensive the strategy states the
need for incrementing the expenditure from the health ministry concerning cancer.
It also gives a provision for collaboration of different sectors to create awareness on the
behavior which contributes to contraction of cancer to reduce the number of people affected with
different types of cancer. Awareness of the treatment and emotional support on people already
with cancer is also enhanced by the collaboration of the different sectors (So et al, 2016).
The plan also cites the shaping of national of the goal of controlling cancer in the nation.
The goal bears strategies such as bringing together the Australian health system to help control
cancer, assisting in making great decisions at all levels to make correct responses on upcoming
issues and risks in controlling cancer nationally and improving the national agenda for
controlling cancer.

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Targeted Audience
The plan targets the patient affected by cancer, the social welfare economic and even
political welfare. On an individual basis, the strategy lays upon goals that address the treatment
of people already suffering from cancer. It cites for provision of equipment used in treatment and
drugs to be administered on the treatment of the affected. Cancer is a dangerous disease and a
pandemic that causes entire suffering to the individual has to be controlled by early treatment
and one has to use drugs prescribed by the doctors on treatment to control pain associated with
malignant cancerous growths (Fry, 2012).
On social welfare, it creates awareness on the ways of preventing oneself from
contracting cancer. This helps the society from the burden of having a high percentage of people
with cancer. It also directs on the creation of awareness on how to live with people who have
cancer. This reduces the stigma of people living with cancer and discrimination is done away
with and this increases the life span of the affected.
On the political basis, the government has an aim at Leadership in cancer control which
has several goals such as upgrading methods of cancer control nationally, improving the
outcomes of cancer, informing appropriate cancer caring methods and improving capability for
cancer control nationally (Sullivan at el, 2015). The government has to drive random cancer
researches which reduce cancer incidences and mortality.
Purpose of the Strategy
The strategy serves a great purpose in cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. The
creation of awareness about cancer brings knowledge to the entire Australian community on
what cancer is and how to prevent themselves from contracting cancer (Yin et al, 2013).

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The strategy aims at enabling each person to know the signs and symptoms of different
types of cancer. It helps one to seek medical support earlier enough to enable easy treatment of
the illness before it gets to stages where one has to be operated or done a surgery which is also
risky and expensive.
It also helps reduce stigma through awareness about that one still has a life to live with
cancer and they can undergo treatment. This helps the affected feel comfortable as they are not
discriminated and just undergo treatment well and live long.
Enablers and Barriers of Success to this Strategy
The strategy can be enabled by a collaboration of different sectors of the government.
Financing has to be in first hand to set aside colossal funds to provide for creating awareness
exercises and funding the provision of equipment necessary for cancer treatment. Creating
awareness should be done from the national point of view to ensure its effectiveness and that
everyone across the nation acquires the knowledge on the pandemic. This should be done in a
way that its outcome is great and it drives positive results (Jefford et al, 2013).
The health sector should also enable the strategy in ensuring that highly qualified
personnel are granted chances to take up the issue and deal with it in the detection and treatment
of cancer. It should also ensure it uses funds set aside for them in a recommendable way and give
great results at last.
Barriers to this strategy could be lack of enough funds to drive the exercises in the goals
cited in the strategy. For this strategy to become a success, there have to be enough funds set
aside to implement it.

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Rigid and dogmatic citizens can act as barriers to the success of this strategy. Citizens
whom after the awareness on cancer still don’t uphold the point of reducing stigma can cause the
failure of the strategy. Still, those who remain rigid and don’t go for diagnosis on cancer to know
their status and if affected to start treatment earlier can cause a failure to this strategy (Shaw et
al, 2018).
Part three: Registered Nurse Role in Relation to Implementing the Strategy
Registered nurses have several roles in administering the strategy and implementing it.
Nurses should help in the treatment of people affected by cancer. They should do their best
professionally description of the patients on what they should do, behaviors they should seize
and advise them on the best way to live with the disease (Johnson et al, 2014).
Nurses should help in drug instructions and administering drugs appropriately for
admitted patients and those undergoing surgery. This makes doctors’ work a success due to the
total effort placed on by both the doctor and the nurses. They also bear the role of giving advice
on the diet the cancer patients should practice and live long with cancer if it is into levels that
cannot be treated (Grimison et al, 2013).
Nurses themselves should act as an example to the other people in their diets, ways of
living and how often they get tested for their cancer status. They should try to follow their
client’s diets and advise them on their proceedings.
They should make some guidelines that make sure they administer their patient’s cancer
status. This can be done by making sure each patient with cancer-related symptoms is tested and
if cancer is detected they start early treatment before the malignant growths (simply replicated
cancerous cells) grow to an extremely dangerous level.

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Nurses also help in giving care through the stress of diagnosis and treatment processes of
cancer patients. They also help in advising the patients on how to deal with the emotions
associated with getting diagnosed with cancer such as the anxiety of the uncertainties expected
such as death (Cook et al, 2013).
Nurses have a role in assessing the signs and symptoms before administration of
chemotherapy, nurses are involved in monitoring the signs, evaluation, and management, mostly
through the use of checklists for adult patients with cancer and in children with cancer. This role
of taking care as the nurses advise the patients, plan and having information intervention is
channeled to address the importance of families taking care of those who stay with the disease at
home or those who are admitted in the hospital for care (Keleher & Parker, 2013).
Nurses have a role in getting involved in evaluating the outcome direct initiatives because
of their practices which are evidence-based. In order to decrease the febrile neutropenia in the
patients who are admitted, to undergo treatments like chemotherapy, then the nurses should be
able to assess a worthiness nurse-led risk assessment tool. Nurses who are more experienced are
involved in the assessment outcome to test the efficacy and outline the benefits and effects
associated with the various cancer treatment such as nausea when undergoing chemotherapy.
The evaluation of the symptoms and follow-ups of the outcome assessment are carried out by the
nurses as their role and even monitoring of the same as they give patients information about the
disease.
Nurses give essential support psychologically to families and their patients during cancer
care awareness and they do throughout the program. They also allow patients to share their life
with the cancer state and by doing so they learn as well as search and take more measures on

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how to improve the patient's life to a satisfactory regardless of the pain they undergo. This is the
psychological support nurses give the patients suffering from cancer (Keall, Clayton &Butow,
2014). During end-of-life care, nurses avail information with advisory support to patients plus
great guidance on challenging decisions like feeding modes and withholding measures that
enhance more living. Nurses also play a good role in supporting the patient's emotions such as
women undergoing early breast treatment for cancer makes them feel satisfied with the decisions
they take. This prevents psychological stress. Nurses play a psychological role in Listening to
patients and being there during periods of decision uncertainties
The multi-disciplinary team approach has been adopted in cancer care addressing
different types of cancer such as breast cancer and lung cancer. Nurses also belong to the
oncology Multidisciplinary team as members where they help ingiving information persisting
clinical outflows facing the patient's case assessments and participate in making decisions on
treatment through the teams’ meetings. The approach to care has improved the outcomes of
caring for cancer, including better-improved survival. A nurse is at a good position to collect
data associated with patients’ tastes for treatment and ameliorate the quality making decisions in
Multi-disciplinary teams’ meetings.
Giving information is a great part of the duty played by the nurses in their clinical
practice. Treatment decisions like that needed by lung cancer patients have their trusted source of
information being a clinical nurse. The nurses have a role in giving information to patients about
various types of therapy, treatments, and tests. Nurses are important in giving information about
symptomatology in the palliative care setting. It’s also the role of nurses to ensure they balance
clinical based decision making with the patient and family will and wishes. Patients with cancer

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rely on registered nurses to gather appropriate information on how to continue with treatment
and live longer with cancer. Nurses are one of the trusted sources of information and advice by
cancer patients and those who take care of them as giving information is one of their important
roles.
Conclusion
To conclude Cancer is really a pandemic and a great issue in Australian posing a great
burden to the whole nation (Thomas & Gostin, 2013). The government has laid strategy to
address the pandemic should do all it can to make sure the laid goals are meet and a great output
is seen at last. Registered nurses should also be in the first hand of helping the nation out of this
pandemic by enhancing and creating better practices which prevent contraction of cancer.

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