Zuzanna Cepowska completed the St. Jude 15-month International EBP Nursing Fellowship program and EBP project utilizing the expertise of St. Jude Global Nursing and the nursing team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The program strengthened her evidence-based practice competencies as a pediatric oncology nurse from a low- and middle-income country, developing her as a change agent who has positively impacted patient care and the work environment.

Zuzanna implemented a patient-reported pain assessment based on evidence and pediatric oncology needs. She increased the frequency of pain assessment from 1.5 times a day to 4 times every 24 hours, and after implementation, all enrolled patients and their caregivers were “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with the new practice of pain assessments. The data indicates that increasing the frequency of pain assessment provides a more nuanced view of perceived pain levels among patients and caretakers.