On behalf of the SIOG NAH Interest Group we are pleased to say thank you to each of you who have attended the SIOG Annual Conference. We appreciate you for taking the time and effort to be here, and thank you for your participation and the sharing of your ideas and expertise.

For the ones that weren’t able to come this year, a report of the conference is included and hopefully we have the opportunity to meet you next year in Warsaw, Poland (November 9-11, 2017).

Enjoy this December issue!

Written by Ginah Nightingale

The term “medication reconciliation” is defined as the process of comparing the medications a patient is taking (and should be taking) with newly ordered medications in order to resolve discrepancies or potential medication related problems.1 The goals of medication reconciliation are to obtain and maintain accurate and complete medication information for a patient and use the information within and across the continuum of care to ensure safe and effective medication use.2 When health systems and organizations do not consistently and reliably reconcile patient medication across the continuum of care, preventable medication errors and adverse drug reactions can occur – approximately half of all hospital-related medication errors and 20% of all adverse drug events have been attributed to poor communication at the transitions and interfaces of care.3-4 ... <More>

List of publications related to the care for older patients with cancer by SIOG Nursing and Allied Health members (July – November 2016):

• Alibhai SM, Aziz S, Manokumar T, Timilshina N, Breunis H. A comparison of the CARG tool, the VES-13, and oncologist judgment in predicting grade 3+ toxicities in men undergoing chemotherapy for metastatic prostate cancer. Journal of geriatric oncology. 2016.
• Alibhai SM, Timilshina N, Duff-Canning S, Breunis H, Tannock IF, Naglie G, et al. Effects of long-term androgen deprivation therapy on cognitive function over 36 months in men with prostate cancer. Cancer. 2016.
• Ayodele O, Akhtar M, Konenko A, Keegan N, Calacsan F, Duggan L, et al. Comparing attitudes of younger and older patients towards cancer clinical trials. Journal of geriatric oncology. 2016;7(3):162-8.
• <More>

Remark: In case there are publications missing in this overview, let us know and they will be added in the next newsletter.

Report of SIOG Annual Conference, Milan, Italy
Written by Peggy Burhenn

The 16th annual conference of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) was held from November 17-19th in Milan, Italy. With over 450 healthcare professionals in attendance from 42 countries worldwide, the program covered a wide variety of topics in geriatric oncology.
The nursing and allied health (NAH) preconference meeting, which was open to all SIOG participants, was held on Wednesday November 16 in the afternoon. Clinical topics covered at the session included polypharmacy, education of nurses in geriatric oncology, and patient engagement in research. The clinical sessions were followed by a round table discussion among the participants to share information on how other NAH professionals are practicing in geriatric oncology and to identify issues that SIOG NAH may address in future conferences... <More>

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Report of the ‘12èmes journées nationales de la SoFOG - Société Francophone d'Oncogériatrie’, France
Written by Sylvie Perrin

In September 2016 in Montpellier, France, the 12th national geriatric-oncology congress took place. The theme of this year’s congress was “Innovative therapies- Nutrition and sarcopenia”.

One of the sessions was chaired by a panel of nurses and allied health professionals:

First, a physiotherapist named Paule–Anne Adnet presented her team’s experiences with conducting a 12-week rehabilitation program (3 times per week) for older adults on active treatment at their hospital in Montpellier. This was combined with good nutrition counseling...<More>

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Report of EONS10 congres, Dublin, Ireland
Written by Cindy Kenis

More than 500 oncology nurses from all over Europe and beyond have gathered in Ireland’s capital city, Dublin, to share their knowledge and develop their skills at the EONS-10 Congress. The successful event, on 17 and 18 October, took place alongside the 18th International Psycho Oncology Society (IPOS) Congress and was hosted by the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Association for Nurses in Oncology (IANO)... <More>

An overview of future events is standing on the SIOG website

You can find all issues of the SIOG NAH newsletter online at www.siog.org and on our Facebook page (SIOG Nursing & Allied Health Interest Group).