Blog & Insights

Oncology Nursing Insights

Evidence-based articles, clinical commentary, and perspectives from Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN — The Oncology Nurse.

Clinical Education

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Nursing Assessment and Antiemetic Management | Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN

· 7 min read

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remains one of the side effects patients fear most when they learn they will need chemotherapy. It is also one of the most manageable, when the right antiemetic regimen is selected based on the emetogenic potential of the regimen, when patient-specific risk factors are assessed, and when nurses teach patients how to use their antiemetics effectively. This article is a clinical reference for nurses managing CINV in the infusion setting and a resource for patients who want to understand why they are taking what they are taking.

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Clinical Education Patient Education

Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: What Nurses and Patients Need to Know | Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN

· 7 min read

Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common and most undertreated side effects of cancer treatment. It affects quality of life in ways that are difficult to quantify and often difficult for patients to describe. In the infusion center, I see the functional impact of neuropathy regularly, patients who can no longer button their shirts, who have stopped walking because their feet feel like they are wearing concrete blocks, or who have modified their diets because they cannot tolerate cold exposure from the refrigerator.

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Clinical Education Patient Education

Aromatherapy in Oncology Nursing: Evidence, Safety, and Clinical Application | Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN

· 7 min read

Aromatherapy is one of the most frequently requested complementary interventions by patients in the oncology setting. Patients ask about it in the infusion chair. Families bring diffusers. Nurses get asked whether it is safe, whether it works, and whether they should discourage it or support it. The honest answer is that the evidence base is modest but growing, the safety considerations are real and worth knowing, and dismissing it out of hand does not serve patients well.

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Clinical Education

How to Talk to Cancer Patients About End-of-Life Care | Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN

· 11 min read

Even experienced oncology clinicians feel uncertain about end-of-life conversations. There is a particular weight to them, a feeling that saying the wrong thing might take something away from a person who has already lost so much. What I have learned after years of practice is that the discomfort is usually ours, not the patient’s. Patients want to talk. They need a clinician who knows how to stay in that conversation. This is what I have learned about how to do that well.

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Clinical Education

Oncology Nursing Emergencies: Recognition and Response | Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN

· 9 min read

An expert guide to the most critical oncology nursing emergencies — neutropenic fever, TLS, SVC syndrome, and more — with nursing assessment priorities and escalation strategies.
Excerpt: Every oncology nurse will, at some point, face a patient who is deteriorating fast. Knowing what to do before that moment arrives is what separates a good outcome from a bad one. This article covers the five oncology emergencies every nurse caring for a cancer patient should be prepared for: neutropenic fever, tumor lysis syndrome, superior vena cava syndrome, hypercalcemia of malignancy, and malignant spinal cord compression — including assessment priorities and when to escalate.

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Clinical Education

Common Chemotherapy Side Effects and How Nurses Manage Them | Megha Shah, DNP, FNP, OCN

· 8 min read

A clinical overview of the most common chemotherapy side effects — nausea, fatigue, neuropathy, and more — with nursing assessment tips and patient teaching strategies from an oncology NP.
Excerpt: Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cells — which is what makes it effective against cancer and what causes side effects. As an oncology nurse practitioner, much of my clinical work involves recognizing, assessing, and managing what patients experience during treatment. This article covers the five side effects I see most often in the outpatient infusion setting: nausea and vomiting, fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, mucositis, and myelosuppression, with nursing assessment priorities and patient teaching points for each.

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Clinical Education Patient Education

What Oncology Nurses Wish Every Patient Knew Before Starting Chemotherapy

· 9 min read

Starting chemotherapy can feel overwhelming, especially when fear of the unknown sets in before the first infusion. In this compassionate guide, oncology nurse practitioner Megha Shah shares what oncology nurses truly want patients to know before beginning treatment. From managing side effects and communicating with your care team to preparing practically and emotionally for chemotherapy, this article offers reassuring, evidence-based guidance to help patients feel informed, supported, and less alone as they begin their cancer journey.

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