Effects of a Nurse-Initiated Telephone Care Path for Pain Management in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy

This quality improvement project aimed to determine whether a nurse-initiated telephone care path could decrease emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and pain levels for patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation therapy. The care path consisted of a six-question questionnaire administered to patients during telephone calls made 48–72 hours after prescription of pain medication by a radiation oncologist.