Do lung cancer nurses relieve the burden of lung cancer? An outcomes study

People with lung cancer experience physical and emotional hardships, often heightened by low survival rates and side effects of treatments. People may be admitted for unplanned hospital care due to reasons related to their lung cancer diagnosis, presenting an economic burden on healthcare resources. For individuals, unplanned admissions present a burden on their life that may be avoided through alternative care management initiatives. Lung cancer nurse specialists (LCNS) are advanced practitioners providing continuity of care across the lung cancer pathway, offering unique expertise within multidisciplinary settings and meeting complex patient needs. Small studies support the role of the LCNS in advocating treatment and suggest productivity gains through reduced emergency admissions. Lack of specialist cancer workforce resource is a potential barrier to delivering the Cancer Strategy for the UK To provide an evidence base for workforce policies, we use linkages to the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) to assess whether LCNS working practices contributed to patient outcomes.