The Oncology Nursing Society's (ONS's) mission is to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care. The generation of new knowledge and the subsequent integration of this knowledge into the nursing care of people confronting cancer across the continuum (prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care) are essential to the delivery of high quality cancer care. A few health care agencies and organizations have embarked upon systematic processes through which research priorities are determined. Inclusion of representative stakeholders and multi-method collection of data and information about the context of the topics to be prioritized has been identified as critical. Surveys can provide quantitative data to narrow the field of relevant areas, but surveys alone cannot determine consensus. Face-to-face dialogue in """"""""nominal groups"""""""" of stakeholders is required to move the process forward in meaningful ways. In 2001, an ONS Project Team was formed to develop the first ONS Oncology Nursing Research Agenda. The 2001 ONS Oncology Nursing Research Agenda Team gathered information from a recent ONS research priorities survey, interviewed representatives from other funding agencies and deliberated for a one-day session. The 2001 ONS Research Agenda is now being implemented. ONS is ready to create a more inclusive and systematic process to determine research priorities that will guide the Society's future work and support of oncology research. This proposal seeks support for working conferences just prior to each biennial National Cancer Nursing Research Conference to use a systematic and consensus-based approach to agenda development. The ONS Research Agenda will be evaluated after each conference from 2003-2007. ? ?
