Co-Chairs Laura S. Wood, RN, MSN, OCN, and Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD, and presenter Kathleen Burns, RN, MSN, AGACNP-BC, OCN, prepared useful Practice Aids pertaining to renal cell carcinoma for this CME/MOC/NCPD/ILNA activity titled “The New Therapeutic Era in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Essentials for Team-Based Patient Care.” For the full presentation, downloadable Practice Aids, complete CME/MOC/NCPD/ILNA information, and details on applying for credit, please visit us at https://bit.ly/30jWypm. CME/MOC/NCPD/ILNA credit will be available until May 16, 2022.

1. Patient Education in the Era of Immuno-Oncology:
Guidance and Resources for Oncology Nurses
Full abbreviations, accreditation, and disclosure information available at PeerView.com/RYZ40
Patient Communication and Education Are Critical
• Nurses and the rest of the clinical team should educate and engage in shared decision-making with patients and their families/caregivers to determine
if immunotherapy is the right choice for them, develop a treatment and monitoring plan, and discuss what to expect during and after treatment
• Education can help patients become well-informed, engaged participants in their care
• AIM With Immunotherapy
https://aimwithimmunotherapy.org/patient-action-plans
• ASCO
https://www.cancer.net/sites/cancer.net/files/
asco_answers_immunotherapy.pdf
• KCA
https://www.kidneycancer.org/just-diagnosed
• KCCure
https://kccure.org/patient-information
• KidneyCAN
https://kidneycan.org/advocacy
• NCCN
https://www.nccn.org/images/pdf/Immunotherapy_Infographic.pdf
• Oncology Nursing Society
https://www.ons.org/node/3761
• SITC
https://www.sitcancer.org/connectedold/p/patient
Patients Resources Are Available Online
Educate Your Patients About …
• What immunotherapies are and how they work
• What factors determine if the patient is/is not a good candidate for immunotherapy
• What to expect during and after treatment
• What irAEs are, when they can occur, and the importance of close monitoring and
early detection, diagnosis, and management
Remind Your Patients to …
• Carry a wallet card with information on current/prior immunotherapy at all times
• Notify their healthcare provider if they develop any new/unusual symptoms or are
admitted to a facility
• Watch out for overlapping toxicities

2. Enhance
comprehension
and retention
Deliver
patient-centered
education
Understand
the learner
Communicate
clearly and effectively
Address
health literacy and cultural
competence
Teaching and
Education
goals
Use a question list so that
patients can ask questions, and
providers can answer them
Talk to—not at—people
Find out what patients
already know before
providing information
New communication skills require
practice; structured skill
development exercises may be
helpful for providers
Ask patients, “Do you need help
understanding health information?”
Adequate
preparation for
teaching and
learning
Repeat the most important
information and increase the
frequency of the message
exposure through several
repetitions
Practice empathy,
especially when the
patient’s view differs from
that of the provider
Be aware of nonverbal
messages, including
gestures, body language,
and dress, when
communicating verbally
Present the most important
information first; emphasize one to
three key points; focus on one issue
at a time; present the information in
logical blocks; use concrete
instructions
Supplement verbal education with
simple written and visual
materials; however, the materials
should reinforce and not replace
verbal instructions or directions
Good teaching
methods
Ask patients to repeat
information in their own words
Ask patients about their life
experiences and use them
to teach; use metaphors
comparing patients’ care
and their life situation
Determine patients’ barriers
to health literacy; assessing
the ability to learn may
include interview or
observation
Use easy-to-understand language
(avoid medical jargon)
Use an interpreter if a patient
requires one due to language or
disability; avoid technical
terminology or medical jargon
Overcoming barriers
to learning
Provide information in several
ways to ensure patient
understanding; audiotapes of
patient consultations can help
patient recall verbal education
Pay attention to and try to
dispel patients’ worries and
fears
Family remembers often
require education (eg, on
pain management)
Give patients an opportunity to ask
questions and time to speak prior to
discharge
Using a scripted tool may help
providers verbalize clearer and
more understandable patient
education
Teaching as an
interactive process
Use the teach-back method
Ask patients to state their
goals of medical care to
begin a discussion
Realize that patients may
not be aware that they do
not understand what is being
communicated to them
Audiotapes of patient consultations
can help patient recall verbal
education
Do not just ask the patient, “Do
you understand?” Many patients
answer “yes” even when they don’t
understand
Assessment of
learning
Remember: EDUCATE to Help Patients Become
Informed and Engaged Participants in Their Care1
Patient Education in the Era of Immuno-Oncology:
Guidance and Resources for Oncology Nurses
Full abbreviations, accreditation, and disclosure information available at PeerView.com/RYZ40
1. Marcus C. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2014;2:482-495.

3. Preferred Treatments Based on Guidance
From the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
Pembrolizumab + axitinibb,c
CPI + TKI
First-Line
Treatments
Sunitinibb
TKI
Counsel your patients on the many options available
for treating newly diagnosed, advanced RCC
Nivolumab + cabozantinibb,c
CPI + TKI
Pembrolizumab + lenvatinibb,c
CPI + TKI
Ipilimumab + nivolumabc
Dual CPI
Pazopanibb
TKI
Cabozantinibc
TKI
The Era of Immuno-Oncology:
Guidance and Resources for Oncology Nurses1,a
Full abbreviations, accreditation, and disclosure information available at PeerView.com/RYZ40
a
Clear cell histology. b
Favorable risk. c
Poor/intermediate risk.
1. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Kidney Cancer. Version 4.2021. https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/kidney.pdf

4. Help Patients Keep Track of Adverse Events
Help Patients and Caregivers Stay Informed in an
Emergency With Wallet Cards
Share Resources That Can Help With Patient
Education and Clinical Trial Enrollment
Side Effects Diary Card
Month/Day/Year Time
Blood
Pressure
Use the space below to note any side effects you experience
and any medications you take to relieve the side effects
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
AM PM
TREATMENT
Please return this diary card to your nurse.
CYCLE #
Date
NAME
Reviewed by
Download Side Effects Diary Card
NAME _____________________________________________
CANCER DX ________________________________________
AGENTS RECEIVED ¨ Single-Agent Checkpoint Inhibitor
¨ Multiple Checkpoint Inhibitors ¨ Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
¨ CAR-T Cell ¨ Monoclonal Antibodies
DRUG NAME(S) ________________________________
OTHER CANCER MEDICATIONS ______________________
IMMUNOTHERAPY WALLET CARD1
Note: Immunotherapy agents are not chemotherapy,
and adverse events must be managed differently
IMMUNE-MEDIATED SIDE EFFECTS*, COMMON WITH CHECKPOINT INHIBITORS,
VARY IN SEVERITY AND MAY REQUIRE REFERRAL AND STEROIDS. PATIENTS
HAVE A LIFETIME RISK OF IMMUNE-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS.
*May present as rash, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cough, fatigue, headaches, vision
changes, etc. Confer with your oncology team before changing an IO regimen or
starting treatment for an adverse event.
ONCOLOGY PROVIDER ____________________________
ONCOLOGY PROVIDER # __________________________
EMERGENCY CONTACT _____________________________
CONTACT PHONE # ________________________________
Download Immunotherapy Wallet Card
ikcc.org
kccure.org
kidneycan.org
A clinical trial can be a very good option for
treatment if you have cancer.
The most obvious reason for considering a clinical trial
is to find a treatment that will be best for you.
Many patients join a trial hoping that the treatment
they can get on a trial is better than the current
standard of care.
Is a clinical trial right for me?
Many patient organizations provide resources for
fielding questions on clinical trial enrollment in RCC,
from the basics to more complex issues2
Sample
Q&A
Nursing Tools for Managing Patients With RCC
Full abbreviations, accreditation, and disclosure information available at
PeerView.com/RYZ40
1. Adapted from the ONS wallet card for immunotherapy. https://www.ons.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/IO%20Card%201-sided_Vertical.pdf. 2. https://ikcc.org/infohubpost/clinical-trials.