The 2009-2013 Research Agenda for Oncology Nursing

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Foundation's mission is to improve cancer care and the lives of people with cancer by funding oncology nursing research, scholarships, awards, and educational programs.The ONS Research Agenda has provided important direction for funding oncology nursing research since 2001.The purpose of the agenda is to identify priorities for oncology nursing research that contribute directly to the generation and application of new knowledge, thereby addressing ONS's overall mission to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care.A multimethod, stakeholder-driven, consensus-building process is used to develop the agenda, which is revised every two years in response to rapid advances in oncology nursing practice and emerging research.The ONS Research Agenda was revised in 2009 by a team of content leaders, content experts, advanced practice nurses (APNs), ONS research team members, and a consumer representative.Prior to the meeting, the individuals reviewed many documents, including the 2008 ONS Research Priorities Survey results (Doorenbos, Berger, Brohard-Holbert, Eaton, et al., 2008;Doorenbos, Berger, Brohard-Holbert, Kozachik, et al., 2008), the 2007 ONS Research Agenda (ONS, 2007), and ONS Foundation reports summarizing awards for research during recent funding cycles (ONS Foundation Research Funding, 2009).Results informed the Research Agenda Team as they synthesized the research literature and determined the state of the science, including recent advances and ongoing gaps in the evidence base for oncology nursing practice.Priorities for future funding were selected and are summarized in this document.The ONS Board of Directors approved the 2009-2013 ONS Research Agenda in May 2009, and it has been made available in three formats: the complete Research Agenda (ONS 2009a), an executive summary (ONS, 2009b), and talking points (ONS, 2009c). Three additions were made to the process of developing the ONS Research Agenda in 2009.A seventh content area (end of life [EOL]) was added, a draft agenda was posted on the ONS Web site for public comments that were examined when finalizing the document, and a plan was approved to publish an article based on the executive summary in the Oncology Nursing Forum to increase access and provide a reference for the agenda.The 2009 ONS Research Agenda team members identified many critical themes that cross all priority topics and subtopics proposed in the revised agenda.These cross-cutting themes were grouped into three categories listed in Table 1: individual or population issues, design or methods issues, and systems issues.The Research Agenda is used to inform ONS and the ONS Foundation during planning for their research initiatives as well as to advise external individuals and groups regarding scientific priorities.High-priority topics and subtopics are specified for each of seven