How can we actively promote quality and safer care to patients throughout Europe?

That has been EONS question and challenge for the past years. Several initiatives were led by EONS towards that goal - the ReCan campaign, the Safety Manifesto and European Cancer Nursing Index (ECNI). These initiatives have been promoting awareness and giving visibility about the importance and impact of safe and high quality nursing care, throughout European nurses and other relevant stakeholders.  

The EONS Accreditation of Safe Workplace – is a stepping stone and brand new initiative towards EONS goals in promoting safer and inspiring workplaces, where cancer nurses can lead to better quality patient care. This accreditation is an EONS official recognition, without cost, to any oncology department that voluntary wish to be assessed. Application is a voluntary initiative, led by nurses of any department that pursuit’s safety, quality and continuous improvement of cancer nursing care. It is a bottom-up initiative, empowering nurses to pursuit an EONS recognition that symbolizes excellence throughout the European community. 

The assessment is done through nurses and nurse manager’s participation in a dedicated survey, which considers keystone quality domains for cancer nursing: 

1) safe environment and general policy; 

2) education; 

3) safe workplace and worker protection; 

4) patient care; 

5) managing hazardous drugs and 

6) managing radiation. 

Through this evaluation, your department could have a snapshot assessment of key aspects related to patient centered quality care and nursing workplace standards that could lead the way to better workplaces for patients and nurses and to the official workplace accreditation by EONS. 

If you want to participate in the EONS accreditation of safe workplace, all you have to do is sent an email to eons.secretariat@cancernurse.eu with the following information: 

• Country 
• Name hospital 
• Specify ward 
• Number of nurses 

If accepted, you will receive an email with the link to the survey and your ID code. Your department will have 2 months time to, for at least 50% of nurses to complete the questionnaire. After the survey is closed it will take about 8 weeks for the results and some suggestions for improvements will come in. If your department makes the EONS accreditation for Safe Workplace, a certificate will also be sent for you to frame.  

If your department is interested, you can find more info on this webpage. You can also find the instruction manual below.  If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact EONS at eons.secretariat@cancernurse.eu