Nursing & Patient Care
Our Services
Nursing and Patient Care Services is responsible both for nursing care in Dana-Farber's inpatient and outpatient units and for a range of services, from psychological counseling to integrated therapies, that enhance adult and pediatric care. The department encompasses a broad range of clinical and support groups in seven overarching units, including:
On This Page
- Patient Care Services
- Education, Practice and Quality
- Pharmacy and Clinical Support Services
- Other Programs and Services
Patient Care Services
Adult Ambulatory and Inpatient Services
In concert with the staff at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the Dana-Farber clinical and support staff care for in- and outpatients during treatment, administer chemotherapy and blood transfusions on an outpatient basis, and coordinate care for patients participating in clinical trials. In collaboration with their medical colleagues, nurses also serve as educators, coordinators, and administrators for a wide range of services. Learn more
Pediatric Oncology and the Jimmy Fund Clinic
The Pediatric Oncology NPCS staff serves the needs of patients suffering from childhood cancers and, through the Perini Clinic, pediatric cancer survivors. In collaboration with the inpatient oncology staff of Children's Hospital Boston, children receiving treatment at the Institute are provided with a seamless continuum of care, addressing medical, emotional, and spiritual needs of both patients and families. Learn more
Clinical Operations and Decision Support/Analysis
This team oversees financial management of NPCS, participates in information technology initiatives, manages the IDX scheduling system, provides decision support through standardized reports and data collections tools, and collaborates with department directors and managers to improve operations.
Clinical Services and Trials
The Clinical Services and Trials Department is responsible for nursing care and the integration of research trials. The department focuses on issues related to safety, effectiveness, patient-centered care, timeliness, and efficiency.
The Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services
The mission of the Cantor Center is to promote and conduct high-quality research aimed at improving patient and family quality of life, patient care, and clinical outcomes. They foster professional scholarship and promote evidence-based best practices for adults and children with cancer. Learn more
The Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies
The Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies has been the driving force in the recognition of complementary therapies as valued components of the Dana-Farber mission of "total patient care." A wide array of clinical services is available, ranging from acupuncture, Reiki, and massage therapy to holistic consultations and nutritional counseling regarding the use of herbs and food supplements. Learn more
The Patient and Family Advisory Council
Understanding the importance of patient-centered care, the
Institute has created Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) for
both pediatric and adult patients. The mission of these councils is to
provide information for the administrative and clinical staff about
the needs of patients and families, work with staff to make changes
that affect patients and families, participate in the design of
patient care areas, assist in the planning of new patient-related
programs, and serve as a resource to care providers on a wide variety
of patient-related issues.
Learn more about the adult council
Learn more about the pediatric council
Education, Practice and Quality
The Center for Cancer Care Education
One of the goals of the Center for Cancer Care Education is to establish direct relationships with the various national organizations focused on nursing and patient care services to distinguish Dana-Farber as an accredited provider of continuing education. Opportunities for professional development will be provided with the establishment of Dana-Farber Nursing Grand Rounds and a variety of multi-disciplinary educational seminars for Dana-Farber staff and the affiliated hospitals. Learn more
Patient and Family Educational Programs and Support Groups
The Eleanor and Maxwell Blum Resource Center and its satellite resource rooms provide comfortable places to learn about topics related to cancer. Each site offers books, brochures, computers with Internet access, videotapes, and audiotapes to help patients and their families find the information and support they may need. Part reference library and part lending library, the Blum Resource Center is staffed by professionals and volunteers who are committed to helping visitors find the information they need. Learn more
The Blum Resource Center is also poised to launch a mobile van initiative. The Mobile Information and Education Resource Center, or Resource Van, will disseminate information on cancer prevention and early detection, as well as provide support for members of the community suffering from cancer. Much like the resource rooms, the van will house a collection of books, computers, videos, and other media.
The Blum Lecture Series has celebrated overwhelming success each year, drawing the maximum capacity of 200 guests to each lecture. The series is designed to help educate patients, families, and employees who might not have the opportunity to visit the Blum Resource Center or satellite rooms.
The Creative Arts Program includes workshops and seminars in the use of different art forms to express the strong emotions and stress that coping with cancer may bring. Ongoing programs in several artistic mediums are offered for patients and their families through the program. Learn more
Patient and Family Support Group Program
The Institute offers a variety of patient and family support groups, ranging in focus from disease-specific groups to those for cancer survivors to bereavement groups for families. Many of these groups are co-facilitated by social workers and nurses. Some groups are time-limited, while others are open-ended. Learn more
Pediatric Survivorship Programs
In addition to invaluable services for adult patients, the department of Pediatric Oncology has established community resource programs for young patients and their families as well as for teenage and adult survivors of pediatric cancers. Though operated by the Jimmy Fund Clinic and not by NPCS directly, these programs and clinics serve important functions in the long-term care of pediatric cancer survivors.
The David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Program
was founded in 1992 to care for and educate the increasing number of survivors of childhood cancers and, if necessary, help them face any medical or psychosocial problems that might arise from their disease or as a consequence of cancer treatments. Learn more
The Bernon Family School Liaison Program
helps pediatric cancer survivors re-enter the school environment and succeed in both academic and social settings. Consultations between the medical system, the family and the school help achieve greater understanding, more appropriate programming and increased support for the Institute's youngest patients. Learn more
The Patient Activity Program
is designed to meet the wide range of developmental and emotional needs of all children who come to the Jimmy Fund Clinic.
Interpreter Services
The Interpreter Program provides interpreting services to patients and families with limited or no English proficiency, to insure good communication and understanding across languages and cultures. The service is available free of charge to both adult and pediatric oncology patients and their families. Learn more
Pharmacy and Clinical Support Services
The Pharmacy and Clinical Support Services department is a newly defined department comprised of Pharmacy, Nutrition Consultation Service, and Respiratory Care. The department works jointly with nursing to ensure care is provided in a uniform, consistent manner.
Pharmacy
The pharmacy provides pharmaceutical care to adult and pediatric patients, with the goal of ensuring safe, optimal, and cost-effective drug therapy for patients receiving treatment. The department also houses a research pharmacy separate from the clinical pharmacy; the research pharmacy supports clinical trials and research protocols. Learn more
Nutrition Consultation Service
The Nutrition Consultation Service (NCS) makes registered dieticians available to both adult and pediatric patients on a referral basis. The NCS staff provides nutrition assessment and medical nutrition therapy, weight management, preventative nutrition therapy, and management of treatment-induced side effects and dietary problems. Learn more
Respiratory Care
The Respiratory Care department is comprised of licensed registered respiratory care practitioners, who are also certified in advanced cardiac life support. This department provides an array of services to adult and pediatric patients. The therapists offer pulmonary function testing to help evaluate the health of a patient's lungs, which is a critical guide to their therapy. Respiratory Care focuses on the delivery of certain inhalable medications intended to improve cardiac function or to prevent infection. The department also assesses cardiac function and need for supplemental oxygen.
Care Coordination Services and Social Work
The Department of Care Coordination and Social Work responds to patients' medical management and psychosocial needs by facilitating the diverse aspects of patient care across the continuum of patient care. The team includes care coordinators (social workers), utilization resource planners, resource specialists, and administrative staff. Learn more
One-to-One: The Cancer Connection
This support program matches newly diagnosed cancer patients and family members with people who have already been through the complex issues surrounding cancer diagnosis and treatment. Drawing on their own experiences with cancer, One-to-One volunteers provide information, guide patients through the Dana-Farber experience, discuss available resources, and, perhaps most importantly, provide support and reassurance. Learn more
Other Programs and Services
Several other departments within the Institute provide patient services that fall outside the purview of NPCS. These additional services enhance the care provided by the Institute and help address the holistic needs of the patient. As such, these groups support the mission of NPCS and have a great deal of collaboration and communication with the nursing staff.
Pain and Palliative Care Program
Together with BWH and Children's Hospital, the Dana-Farber Department of Psychosocial Oncology has established the Pain and Palliative Care Program, aimed at helping patients and families through the management of pain and other physical, emotional, social, and spiritual concerns related to serious illness. Learn more
The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT)
The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) endeavors to improve the quality of life for children at the end of life by providing pediatric palliative care consultation services. PACT physicians and nurses help to lessen pain and suffering for children at the end of life, emphasize meaningfulness during the terminal care period, and improve family and caregiver satisfaction with end-of-life care. Learn more
Pastoral Care
The Pastoral Care Program offers consultation and counsel regarding spiritual, emotional, and ethical matters. Chaplains from a number of faiths (e.g., interfaith, Islamic, Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and others) provide prayer, scripture, sacraments and worship services, as well as assistance in obtaining Kosher meals or observing holy days while in the hospital setting. The Forbes Chapel, an interfaith chapel located on the first floor of the Dana Building, is also open around the clock. Learn more
The Friends of Dana-Farber Boutique
The Friends Boutique stocks and fits wigs, prostheses, scarves, clothing and other personal items designed to help cancer patients look and feel their best during and after treatment. Learn more
Volunteer Services
Dana-Farber is extremely fortunate to have hundreds of dedicated volunteers, who give the valuable gift of time and dispense cheer throughout the Institute, easing the burden of patients, families, and staff. Approximately 350 volunteers provide over 45,000 hours of invaluable service each year, while thousands more give of their time and energy at more than 250 events to benefit the Institute. Learn more