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Cancer Nursing Today nonprod

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an organism that can cause life-threatening pneumonia (pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia; PJP). The fungus can take advantage of a suppressed immune system, so patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are on immunosuppressive therapy are at an increased risk for contracting the disease.One way to predict whether a patient needs prophylaxis for PJP is to look at their CD4 T cell count. A decreased CD4, attributable to immunosuppression, can increase the risk of PJP. However, constantly monitoring CD4 in each patient can be costly.&ldquo;The cost of a CD4 lab at Huntsman exceeds $1500&mdash;regardless of insurance provider,&rdquo; Carrie Bellerive, BSN, RN, BMTCN, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Utah, reported in a talk at the International Myeloma Society&rsquo;s 6th Annual Nursing Symposium.To address the cost, she and other nurses at Huntsman developed and implemented an algorithm to determine the patients most likely to contract PJP.&ldquo;We determined that if a patient is on prophylaxis, we discontinue monitoring the CD4 until the patient meets criteria for resumption per the algorithm,&rdquo; she explained.An article published in Oncology Nursing News outlines the prophylactic algorithm, which involves treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and other agents on a case-by-case basis.Bellerive believes all institutions treating these patients should develop a shared best practice for monitoring CD4.To view Huntsman&rsquo;s algorithm, click <a href="https://www.oncnursingnews.com/view/nurse-developed-algorithm-helps-identify-pneumocystis-pneumonia-risk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.<h3>Reference</h3><a href="https://www.oncnursingnews.com/view/nurse-developed-algorithm-helps-identify-pneumocystis-pneumonia-risk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nurse-developed algorithm helps identify pneumocystis pneumonia risk</a>

New Algorithm Proposed for Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia Prevention in MM

Multiple Myeloma

Nurses at the Huntsman Cancer Institute believe their algorithm successfully predicts PJP and decreases CD4 monitoring costs. 

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