The 2014–2018 Oncology Nursing Society Research Agenda

Purpose/Objectives: To identify priority areas of research for the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Research Agenda for 2014–2018, consistent with ONS’s mission to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care.

Data Sources: Review of the literature, 2013 ONS Research Priorities Survey, National Institute of Nursing Research, and the National Cancer Institute research foci.

Data Synthesis: Multimethod consensus-building approach by content leaders and content experts of the ONS Research Agenda Project Team.

Conclusions: The 2014–2018 Research Agenda Project Team identified eight high-priority research areas: symptoms, late effects of cancer treatment and survivorship care, palliative and end-of-life care, self-management, aging, family and caregivers, improving healthcare systems, and risk reduction. In addition, four cross-cutting themes were identified: biomarkers, bioinformatics, comparative effectiveness research, and dissemination and implementation science.

Implications for Nursing: The Research Agenda is a synthesis of the state of the science in cancer and identifies gaps and directions for the conduct and dissemination of research. Oncology nurses can use the agenda to inform clinical practice, develop research proposals, inform policy makers, support interdisciplinary research efforts, and promote scientist and clinician collaborations in targeted patient-centered research.