Suriya Kirkpatrick, Senior Cancer Research Nurse at Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, tells us about her role, how she works closely with the myeloma MDT, and the holistic care she provides for patients undergoing clinical trials.
How did your role develop?
I began my career by qualifying as a nurse and a midwife and followed this with a degree in psychology, motivated by a keen interest in patient-focused care and quality of life. This led me into the research environment and my role as a research nurse. My post was a new post, and very early on in my research nurse career I was tasked to manage a developing cancer trials portfolio. Primarily my role was to collect data from research participant and ensure their care is managed in accordance with the trial protocol. I worked with patients with different types of cancer (breast, urology, colorectal, lung, brain, bladder, upper GI, head and neck and sarcoma). This exposure to different cancers and treatment pathways was a valuable experience and I went on to lead on the 100,000 Genomes Project, recruited patients and developed pathways for genomic testing. I always took opportunities to audit research work, work on quality improvement, and work alongside both academics and clinicians.
Tell us more about your work
A fundamental part of my role is the safe delivery of research studies and the support of high-quality patient care within the framework of the clinical trial protocol. The bulk of this work is around data collection and verification, grading of adverse events, reporting back to sponsors, and dealing with queries, but my role also focuses on meeting the supportive care needs of the patient.
I work as part of the MDT and collaborate with the whole team, not just the Principal Investigator of the study but also the registrars, nurses, and other specialist teams. It is important to have a sound knowledge of the myeloma disease trajectory and treatment pathway because trials may be offered to patients at various stages of the pathway. This collaboration includes ensuring the required testing is carried out, including more advanced testing, such as cytogenetics on bone marrow samples, and prevent duplication of testing. I work closely with the medical team to constantly review the patient for side effects and complications of the disease or its treatments and ensure the requirements of the trial protocol during treatment and follow-up is fulfilled.
In what ways do you support patients beyond the requirements of the trial protocol?
Holistic care centres around seeing the patient as a whole person and not simply focusing on their needs in relation to the trial. As a research nurse I have a smaller case load and more time to provide one-to-one care, which provides an additional layer of support for myeloma patients. This can involve:
- When first meeting a patient, taking their history, discussing their disease and standard treatment, and explaining how the proposed trial fits into their individual journey.
- Ensuring that the principles of informed consent are adhered to. It is crucial to ensure the patient wants to be on the trial and that they are not doing so because they feel it is what their family wants. By establishing good rapport and building trust, patients are better equipped to make decisions that are right for them.
- Endeavouring to reduce the number of times myeloma patients need to come to hospital by coordinating their tests and investigations. This might mean changing appointments, booking and organising travel, and liaising with other departments in the hospital.
- Listening carefully for cues about any concerns they might have and paying close attention to how and what they report in terms of side effects or complications.
- Ensuring patients know how to contact me and always responding promptly to queries.
- Educating myeloma patients and their families on the delivery of the treatment, signposting them to further information and support, and liaising closely with the myeloma clinical nurse specialist and haematologist.
How does your role impact trial recruitment and retention?
As a team we aim to be as inclusive as possible. We offer trials to all eligible patients and never make assumptions about whether their individual circumstances would affect their ability to participate.
Solidifying relationships with patients early on and providing continuity of care is a large part of trial retention. This relationship building can also translate into better recruitment as patients may hear about the experience of other patients currently on a trial and may be more likely to take part themselves.
What advice would you have for a nurse new to the role?
I would say the following to a nurse considering a career in research:
- As a nurse, you already have the ability, you will just be transferring your skills to work within a different pathway
- Be willing to come out of your comfort zone and develop new skills. Having good organisational skills is key to the role.
- It is a patient-facing role, with the opportunity to work with a variety of colleagues and teams. There will also be periods of working alone, such as when you are reading protocols and working on data collection and entry.
- Always read, understand, follow and check the trial protocols to ensure safe practice. Be willing to challenge others if they are not abiding by the protocol.
- Be vigilant about delivering the main elements of the protocol and balancing this alongside meeting the support needs of the patient. Finding this balance is a skill you will develop with experience.
Suriya Kirkpatrick
Senior Cancer Research Nurse
Southmead Hospital