摘要:

&NA;While digital rectal examination, prostate‐specific antigen, and transrectal ultrasound have been identified as effective means of early detection of prostate cancer, African American men tend to underuse these services as compared to white men. Using a nonrandom sample of 108 African American men, the authors conducted an exploratory investigation of the effects of education, income, age, and health insurance coverage on actual and perceived knowledge of prostate cancer. The extent to which the use of prostate cancer screening services may be attributed to actual and perceived knowledge of prostate cancer was also explored.Respondents demonstrated a poor knowledge of prostate cancer and less than 40% reported having had prostate cancer screening as part of their annual physical examination. The results of the study also revealed that (a) there was a moderately strong correlation between actual and perceived knowledge of prostate cancer, (b) use of prostate cancer screening service was positively associated with actual and perceived knowledge of the disease, (c) actual knowledge of prostate cancer was negatively correlated with education, age, and income, and (d) actual and perceived knowledge of prostate cancer were both correlated with having health insurance coverage.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this study was to find out how cancer patients perceive patient participation in decision‐making and to see which factors in their view facilitate and restrict participation. Data were collected in focus group interviews with 25 patients, most of whom had breast cancer. Data interpretation was based on the method of qualitative content analysis.The results showed that patients, nurses and physicians all play a part in terms of how patients participate in decision‐making. Patients defined participation in decision‐making in terms of asking questions, obtaining/providing information and choosing from/presenting different alternatives. Among the factors that were thought to promote participation in decision‐making were the patient'S activity, the presence of a primary nurse/physician, the encouragement of nurses and physicians to participate, the treatment of patients as equals, and nurses and physicians having enough time for patients. As for factors hindering participation in decision‐making, reference was made to patient ignorance, physical and mental imbalance and shyness on the part of the patient. Obstacles to participating in decision‐making that originated in the nurses and physicians were the tendency for them to treat patients as objects, to fall in a routine, problems with information dissemination and lack of time.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The experience of massage in an oncology ward was the focus of this study. Eight female cancer patients were given massage for 10 consecutive days and then interviewed using phenomenology as a theoretical framework. The essential meaning of getting massage as part of the daily care for female cancer patients was described as getting a meaningful relief from suffering. The findings identified five themes: the relief is meaningful because it offers the patient an experience of being “special.” The massage contributes to the development of a positive relationship with the personnel, to feeling strong, and to a balance between autonomy and dependence. The massage also brings about a meaningful relief from suffering because it just “feels good.” The findings of this study can be of use to health care professionals as it shows that the relatively short period of massage can result in physical and emotional benefits for cancer patients.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;Many nurses acknowledge that their nursing practice is hampered by inadequate teaching about communication skills during their nursing education. Ineffective communication has negative effects on patient care and causes stress when nurses interact with each other, with medical colleagues, with patients and their relatives. Many senior nurses teach junior staff about communication and feel uncertain about their competence to do so despite recognition of its importance.This article reports data from a training initiative endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing in the United Kingdom (UK) aimed at helping senior nurses to identify their personal strengths and weaknesses when communicating, learn new teaching methods and encourage new teaching initiatives. A residential 2‐ day course, based on learner‐centered methods was employed. One hundred and twenty nine nurses from UK cancer centers worked on personal communication problems via group discussions, video demonstrations, small group teaching exercises and role‐plays with professional actors. Post‐course, participants reported significantly greater confidence in handling 14 common communication problem areas in cancer (p< .0001) and in 8 different areas of teaching. Participants were very enthusiastic about the course overall and especially valued the training approach and teaching materials provided. Three months post‐course 91% reported changing their own teaching practice and 85% had initiated new communication skills teaching.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and health beliefs on their behavior and their actual usage of safety measures while handling cytotoxic drugs in their daily work surroundings.The Health Belief Model (HBM) and its extensive form, the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), were used as the theoretical frameworks. Sixty‐one nurses participated in the study, 31 hospital‐based nurses daily exposed to cytotoxic drugs for the last 5 years, and 30 non‐exposed community nurses. An occupational questionnaire was used to test the nurses' actual safe behavior and compliance with the recommended guidelines. A randomly selected group of exposed nurses were observed to validate their compliant behavior.A gap was found between the nurses' knowledge and their actual behavior concerning the potential risks of cytotoxic drugs and their use of protective measures(p< .005). Significant correlations were found among the components of the extensive HBM (perceived susceptibility, barriers, benefits and self‐efficacy). The observational findings supported the above results.The study'S findings support the need to promote primary prevention by providing a safe environment for the employee by means of education, training with regard to safety measures, clear policy, written guidelines and their enforcement.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;Menopausal symptoms are important concerns for breast cancer survivors, which may influence daily activities, physical comfort and sexual health. Incidence and severity ratings of menopausal symptoms contribute to our knowledge about menopause in women with cancer, but fail to fully describe the symptom experience. The purpose of this article is to broaden our understanding by describing variation in menopausal symptom distress and how women interpret and manage symptoms within the context of breast cancer. From a larger grounded theory study that explored women'S responses to the experience of premature induced menopause within the context of breast cancer, the constant comparative method of analysis was used to generate a detailed contextually grounded description of the menopausal symptom experience in a sample of 27 women with breast cancer who received adjuvant therapy. Women identified a symptom profile of menstrual cycle changes, hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, alterations in mood, cognition and libido, and weight gain. The majority of women reported menopausal symptoms but some women were distress free while others reported moderate to severe distress. The context of breast cancer influenced women'S response to symptoms and their decision making about menopausal symptom management.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;This study investigated the relationship between perceived social support, uncertainty, and quality of life among younger breast cancer survivors. Proposed hypotheses predicted a significant positive correlation between perceived social support and quality of life, a significant negative correlation between uncertainty and quality of life, and that perceived social support and uncertainty, considered together, will explain more of the variance of quality of life than either variable considered independently.A sample of 101 breast cancer survivors below age 50 completed the Social Support Questionnaire, Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale—Community Form, and Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index—Cancer Version.Data were analyzed using Pearson product‐moment correlation and stepwise multiple regression. All three hypotheses were supported. Additional findings revealed a significant positive correlation between support and network size, and between network size and the socioeconomic domain of quality of life. Significant negative correlations were found between perceived social support and uncertainty, between network size and time since diagnosis and treatment, and between network size and uncertainty.Study results demonstrated that although perceived social support and uncertainty accounted for a significant amount (27.2%) of variance of quality of life, a large amount of variance remains unexplained. Further research is needed in this area.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;This study aimed to describe how 10 Norwegian women diagnosed with breast cancer experienced living with the disease. A qualitative method was used, including open‐ended in‐depth interviews based on principles in Grounded Theory. Data revealed that existential awareness was a central phenomenon in the women’s experience. This central finding created the basis for the core category in data: the will to live. This core category includes existential aspects such as different levels of life expectations, the fight against death, life related to the future, religious beliefs and doubts, and increased awareness of values in life. Knowledge and an understanding of how women experience being diagnosed with cancer are prerequisites for supporting the women in a process of normalization. This study has shown that the existential aspects connected with the core category, the will to live, are a central issue in recovery and survival. The study suggests that health professionals, by increasing their awareness of existential aspects connected with the will to live, can assist women and their families in developing coping strategies.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;After having been subjected to radical mastectomy for breast cancer, women are usually fitted with an external breast prosthesis. Different types of prostheses are available, but oncology nurses have few data enabling them to advise their patients adequately. In this prospective randomized crossover study of 101 women undergoing one‐sided mastectomy for breast cancer, the selfadhesive breast prosthesis was compared with the traditional external prosthesis. Questionnaires were used to evaluate the woman’s judgment of the prosthesis in relation to her final preference for one type of prosthesis. Complete data were available for 91 women, 59.3% of whom finally preferred the selfadhesive type. Preference was independent of age, randomization order, or the possible use of adjuvant chemotherapy. Satisfaction with the self‐adhesive prosthesis was independent of randomization order but satisfaction with the traditional type was significantly more when it was the first type of prosthesis. Preference for the self‐adhesive prosthesis over the traditional type was mainly related to an increased perception of the prosthesis as a part of the body. Preference for the traditional prosthesis over the other type was mainly related to the greater ease of application and the lesser local irritation of the skin. Findings from this study can be useful in oncology nursing practice.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Purpose:This exploratory study was designed to examine partners' understanding of patients' experience with prostate or breast cancer and to assess the congruence between patient and partner perceptions regarding social support and the cancer experience.Methods:Partner understanding of patient mood was assessed by comparing the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire scores of patients with the POMS scores of their partners (who were instructed to complete the questionnaire as patient proxies). A semistructured interview with corresponding questions for patients and partners assessed the congruency between patient and partner perceptions regarding social support and the cancer experience.Results and Conclusions:Twenty‐three couples participated. Eight couples were woman with breast cancer and their husbands, and 15 couples were men with prostate cancer and their wives. The patients with breast cancer and their partners were an average age of 48 years and had been married for 20 years, while the patients with prostate cancer and their partners were 67 years of age and had been married for 40 years, on average. Overall, female partners possessed a more accurate understanding of their husbands' experience with prostate cancer than male partners had of women'S breast cancer experience. These men tended to overestimate the breast cancer patients' self‐reported levels of distress. Patient and partner perceptions regarding social support in the relationship and the cancer experience were also more congruent in prostate couples than in breast couples. This may be a factor not only of gender but also of age and the length of time that these couples had been together, which was twice as long for the prostate couples. Overall, however, patients were well adjusted and felt understood by their partners and satisfied with the support their partners provided.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID