Nursing Roles: Clinical Implications Regarding Trends, Administration, and Education for Biosimilars in Oncology Practice.

Background: With the advent of biosimilars into the U.S. healthcare market, knowledge deficits exist for nurses and patients regarding the regulatory approval process and key nursing considerations for each of these new medications.

Emerging therapies for autoimmune disorders.

Several monoclonal antibodies and other biologic drugs are used to treat a variety of common autoimmune disorders that are progressive in nature or resistant to standard therapies. Although monoclonal antibodies were recently removed from the hazardous drugs list, most of these drugs are considered high-risk substances that require specialized knowledge regarding care before, during, and after administration. Yet no national standards exist for nurses working with autoimmune patients, nor have minimum nursing practice competency guidelines been identified.

Chemotherapy and biotherapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases.

New trends have emerged in treating patients with autoimmune diseases with medications traditionally used in oncology. This article will summarize a comprehensive literature review performed to identify effective chemotherapy and biotherapeutic agents for treating each of the main autoimmune subtypes (nervous, gastrointestinal, blood and blood vessel, skin, endocrine, and musculoskeletal systems). In addition to agents currently used, some of the newer therapeutic options show great promise to radically improve treatment choices when considering individualized plans.

Smoking withdrawal and prolonged hospitalization.

Many individuals who smoke are hospitalized for extended periods of time for treatment of their diseases. These patients are at increased risk for developing withdrawal symptoms and maladaptive behavior because hospitals have adopted smoke-free policies in accordance with federal law and consumer pressures. Tobacco addiction often is overlooked by healthcare providers or receives low priority on admission.