The purpose of this thesis was to develop a checklist tool for nurses giving patient education to patients having cancer drug therapy. The need for a checklist started between discussions with new employees in connection with orientation. Information about cancer drug therapy were widely available but practical information targeted directly to the nurses were scattered among various sources or in part in so called tacit knowledge, which was not recorded anywhere.

This thesis was made as a practice based thesis whose output was compiled a checklist tool for patient education and the manual how to use the checklist properly. The aim was to develop more patient education and orientation materials about cancer drug therapy, as well as raising the profile of the oncology ward RS1 as a unit which develops its nursing methods. Both the theoretical part and the output was compiled by studying literature and researches. In addition some of the unit’s own practices were recorded to the manual. The handbook includes a compact package of the basics associated with patient education that every nurse giving cancer drug therapy should manage. The guide advices the reader also to the sources of additional information.

The checklist and the manual can be utilized in patient counseling for patients having cancer drug therapy and as part of new employee’s orientation. The use of the list can be taken advantage of in the whole Oncology Unit’s Responsibility Area and widely across the whole country. The list is upgradeable and customizable for each unit to match their own needs. For further actions remains to be seen how to conduct an introduction and make use of the list in practice. The commissioner of the thesis was Pirkanmaa Hospital District.