摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health beliefs of rural Appalachian women and the practice of breast self-examination (BSE). The sample consisted of 130 women residing in rural Appalachia who were recruited from various groups. The mean age was 53. They completed Champion's Health Belief Scale, which consisted of six Likert subscales: Susceptibility, Seriousness, Benefits, Barriers. Health Motivation, and Confidence. The women were questioned if they did BSE and were asked to respond to the following statement: "If I had cancer, I would rather not know it." Only 34.9% reported that they did monthly BSE. Two of the six subscales correlated significantly with reports of doing monthly BSE. Women who reported more confidence in doing BSE and perceived more benefits from doing BSE were significantly more likely to do regular exams. Interestingly, 18% indicated that they would rather not know if they had cancer and another 17% had neutral feelings. The findings support the need for culturally sensitive education programs on BSE for rural Appalachian women. Consideration must be given to their health beliefs in relation to health promotion.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;Symptom distress in the adult population with cancer is of concern to clinicians who care for these patients. Increased research has been directed toward the development and refinement of symptom distress scales, the identification of determinants of symptom distress, the investigation of symptom distress as a predictor, and the examination of the relationship between quality of life and symptom distress. Findings from this research have increased our understanding of symptom distress in adult patients with cancer. However, a major limitation of work to date has been a lack of consensus related to the definition and measurement of the symptom distress construct. The purpose of this article is to address existing conceptual and methodological challenges inherent in the study of symptom distress, and to make recommendations for further research in this area.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;There is an imperative need in cancer nursing to recognize that family members of the patient undergoing bone marrow transplantation are unique in the outside stressors with which they must cope. These families have a multitude of needs to be addressed for them to be able to decrease their anxiety and be able to offer the emotional support the bone marrow transplant patient requires. The stressors, needs, and coping mechanisms of the cancer family, that may affect their outward behavior toward the patient and nursing staff, are outlined here. From this information, nursing interventions can be designed to help families decrease their anxiety and increase coping capabilities.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a culturally sensitive sexual functioning instrument, the Sexual Dimensions Instrument for Hispanic Women (SDIHW). Using a vignette, the respondent indicated her level of agreement with 26 items that were developed by Hispanic and Anglo nurses/researchers and validated by a panel of clinical and instrument experts. It was translated into Spanish and back-translated; the reading level was at the sixth to seventh grade. The convenience sample consisted of 179 Hispanic women being treated for gynecologic cancer as outpatients. The typical respondent was 35-50 years of age, married, minimally acculturated, religious, and surviving for 1-3 years; she had three or more children, had less than a high-school education, and had little sexual activity in the past month. A three-factor scale with 22 items was determined to have conceptual clarity and moderate reliability (0.63-0.77). Factors included role(eight items), personal sexual satisfaction (eight items), and relationship (six items). The instrument was completed in Spanish by 60% of the respondents. Total and subscale scores were generally not influenced by demographic characteristics. The psychometric properties of the SDIHW indicate future research value. Moderate internal consistency, reliability, content, and construct validity were demonstrated. Achieving a better understanding of the Hispanic woman's perception of herself as a sexual being will aid the clinician in the development of culturally sensitive interventions.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The use of verbal category scales in assessing patient symptoms is evolving, but the extent to which reliability and precision are lost in using them as opposed to a visual analogue scale (VAS) remains uncertain. The present study analyzed the concordance between a four-point verbal category scale and a VAS in assessing nausea intensity in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The analysis of a total of 348 simultaneous ratings by 104 women over four cycles revealed good concordance between the scales. The means of the VAS ratings (range 0-100 mm) corresponding to the four verbal categories divided the scale in four almost equally large parts (no nausea = 0.7, mild = 24.8, moderate = 48.3, severe= 75.1). However, the VAS ranges were wide. On an individual level a one-step change in the verbal category was associated with an average change of 20 mm on the VAS. The choice of scale to use should be based on the need in the particular situation. When measuring intensity of nausea in patients, the VAS is a reasonable choice due to its possibly greater ability to detect changes over time. On the group level, findings on a four-point category scale and a VAS on the average seem similar.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;As a step toward developing criteria for referral to occupational therapy, the study set out to assess patients' needs of occupational therapy in an acute cancer care hospital. A 31-item Needs Assessment Questionnaire was produced. It was intended to reflect interventions/ measures of occupational therapy. Seventeen questions eliciting information on occupational therapy gave a factor with an alpha coefficient of 0.92. Four single questions on occupational therapy did not form a factor. Six questions about the disease had an alpha coefficient of 0.83, whereas four about rehabilitation prognoses formed a factor with an alpha coefficient of 0.57. The questionnaire was completed by 40 day-shift primary-care nurses acting as key informants. Their answers concerned a total of 88 of their patients. Twenty-six percent of the patients had been recommended for or referred to occupational therapy, whereas many whom the nurses judged to need this(47%) had not been referred (p = 0.01 chi-squared test, 10.59 McNemar test). Hence, no logical pattern of referral was found, and this seems to highlight both the absence of and the need for clear referral criteria.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;Most patients attending a hospital appointment are likely to feel at least slightly apprehensive and, therefore, unable to retain all of the information given to them. A patient visiting a department in which they had been diagnosed with cancer that required radiotherapy is perhaps one of the worst case scenarios. Both cancer and radiotherapy are words that create some of the greatest fears for the general public and, even, for members of the health profession. Due to the misconceptions about cancer and radiotherapy, patients require accurate information to help allay some of their fears. At the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Freedom Fields Hospital, Plymouth, it was decided that an audit be used to determine the accuracy and consistency of information delivered within a specialized unit, before this information was disseminated to other departments within the hospital. The goals of the audit were to highlight possible weak areas of advice, to agree on the best information to furnish for a given situation, and to implement distribution of a staff handout to help achieve these aims. Staff members (n = 35) of various professions and levels were asked to complete a questionnaire relating to a patient with carcinoma of the breast undergoing a routine course of radiotherapy. Results of the audit indicated staff vagueness or conflicting responses in certain situations.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;Positron emission tomography (PET), the newest of the nuclear medicine imaging instruments, is now being used for diagnosis in 20 clinical sites in the United States. Recent approval of third-party reimbursement for PET scans for selected illnesses has set the precedence for wider clinical applications of this advanced diagnostic tool. Most practical of the newest applications of PET in the US is in early detection of recurrent brain tumors. Early detection not only saves lives, but also may save thousands of dollars in unnecessary tests, treatments, and surgeries. PET has two basic advantages over computerized tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). First, PET creates vastly superior images of metabolic activity, making possible more accurate and detailed diagnoses. Secondly, PET causes very low radiation absorption due to the volatile nature of the radioisotopes used. The rapidly increasing use of PET in clinical situations requires the nurse to become aware of its basic principles and applications, as well as the nursing care involved when a client is scheduled for a PET scan. This study serves to explain basic physical principles employed by PET. The historical development of PET and the comparison of PET with x-ray, CT, and MRI are reviewed. The article concludes with a discussion of future oncologic applications and the latest research developments in clinical use of PET scans.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1997

数据来源: OVID