OCN Study Guide 2026

Teach-back is an evidence-based health literacy technique where the nurse asks the patient to restate information to verify comprehension before discharge.

Allopurinol (or rasburicase for very high-risk cases) combined with aggressive IV hydration is the standard prophylaxis for TLS in high-risk patients.

Cancer cachexia is a complex metabolic syndrome driven by inflammation and tumor factors, causing involuntary weight loss and muscle wasting that cannot be fully reversed by nutrition alone.

The MASCC (Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer) score stratifies febrile neutropenia into low vs. high risk, guiding outpatient vs. inpatient management.

Non-pharmacological strategies such as trigger avoidance, cool environments, and layered clothing are recommended first because estrogen is contraindicated in breast cancer.

Immobilization devices hold the patient in the exact same position for every treatment fraction, ensuring the radiation beam targets the tumor consistently throughout the course of therapy.