摘要:

&NA;Mouth care is an integral part of nursing practice. However, it has become a ritualistic and banal activity, a topic of conflicting advice and subjective conclusions from sporadic research. Rarely do experts teach it, and it frequently is delegated to the most junior members of the nursing staff. Many cancer treatments result in unavoidable oral toxicity, and the significant prevalence of oral complications in oncology makes mouth care a particular priority for cancer nurses. The confusion and conflict that surrounds best nursing practice in relation to delivering appropriate mouth care should be redressed. This review article details pertinent research to date regarding oral care, with an aim to clarify intervention options, and to identify and promote best nursing practice.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the quality of life for 58 outpatients during and after a course of radiation treatment for cancers of the head and neck. Data were collected at three time points: T1 (first week of treatment), T2 (last week of treatment), and T3 (1 month after treatment). Patients completed two measures that assessed physical, emotional, functional, and social aspects of well‐being: the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy: Head and Neck (FACT—H&N) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance and post hoc t tests were performed to assess changes in quality of life over the three time points. Results indicated overall increased levels of physical and functional symptoms, head and neck specific concerns, and depression between T1 and T2. However, except for depression, there was some improvement between scores on each of these measures of physical and functional well‐being between T2 and T3, although this improvement was not to the pretreatment level. The FACT subscales assessing social and emotional well‐being, and the HADS subscale showed no significant changes across time. Implications of this study relate to the ongoing need for interventions to assist patients once they have completed the radiation treatment course, and to improved assessment in some areas of emotional distress.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe coping strategies used by women with breast cancer during and after radiation therapy. Content analysis was used to structure the statements provided by the patients in the Wheel Questionnaire. The patients used several problem‐ and emotion‐focused strategies to cope with the treatment, and the strategies changed over time. Family and friends had a positive impact on the coping process for the three points of measurement: before treatment started, on completion of treatment, and 3 months after treatment. Contact with colleagues at work also provided the women with a sense of normalcy. The women used a broad spectrum of own activities to aid recovery, instead of leaving their treatment solely to medicine. The women also found that a hopeful and optimistic attitude was a helpful strategy for coping with the treatment.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;Certain issues are universal for all women with breast cancer, irrespective of age, ethnic group, or stage of disease. Yet, along with common concerns, experiences, and anxieties, each woman may encounter a unique set of problems. Ultimately, each woman's adaptation and choices will be strongly influenced by her personal history, her psychosocial stage, and her life‐cycle concerns. Changes in the criteria norms for the psychosocial stages of women's lives and their subsequent influence on quality of life are issues that have substantial implications for nursing and other healthcare professions. Younger and older women have different needs, concerns, and quality of life issues in a context of psychosocial life stages that have changed significantly across the post‐World War II generations. The experience of breast cancer is perceived differently by women of distinct psychosocial life stages. At each critical life stage, the unique emerging problems require specific psychosocial supports that can reduce or avert the ensuing emotional distress. The planning and implementation of care must be tailored to address the differences demonstrated by age and psychosocial life stage, and to enhance quality of life outcomes for survivors of breast cancer, both young and old.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The literature lacks descriptions of the effect that breast cancer treatments have on sexuality from the perspective of women who have lived through this experience. The purpose of this study was to describe aspects of sexuality that were important to women after breast cancer treatment. Participants in this study were 18 white women with breast cancer between the ages of 35 and 68 years (mean, 50.5 years). Time since diagnosis ranged from 6 months to more than 10 years. Primary surgical treatment for seven women (39%) had been lumpectomy, and for 11 women (61%) mastectomy. Most of the participants also received adjuvant chemotherapy. This qualitative descriptive study used grounded theory methods. Two primary categories (losses and influencing pieces) emerged from the data analysis. The losses category had four components: missing parts, loss of bleeding—becoming old, loss of sexual sensations, and loss of womanhood. The influencing pieces were relationships and information control. The core concept identified was an altered sexual self. Central to the task of adjustment to living with breast cancer was coming to terms with a new sexual self that emerged after treatment. Women who sought information about the sexual side effects of cancer treatment, and who had strong intimate relationships appeared to experience a more successful adjustment.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The mapping, sequencing, and analysis of the human genome that has occurred during the last decade through the Human Genome Project are providing fundamental advances for basic science and medicine. Genomic information is providing insights into causes of, susceptibility to, and protection from cancer and a host of other diseases. Already, information generated by the Human Genome Project has been incorporated into the care of cancer patients. Perhaps more so than other types of medical information, genetic knowledge can have profound implications for individuals, families, and society. As a result, nursing professionals in clinical and academic settings are being called upon to identify and deliberate medical, social, ethical, and legal issues stemming from Human Genome Project advancements. The purpose of this article is to review the goals and implications of the Human Genome Project to further prepare cancer nurses to actively participate in the deliberations, research, and clinical activities evolving from the Human Genome Project.

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

&NA;The purpose of this descriptive study was to provide a description of advanced cancer pain in home hospice subjects. The McGill Pain Questionnaire, Parts 1 and 2, measured pain in a convenience sample of 76 patients who were terminally ill with cancer. Analysis of the McGill Pain Questionnaire Part 1 delineated the following mean scores: total score (11.24), number of words chosen (5.89), sensory (5.71), affective (3.07), evaluative (1.09), and miscellaneous (1.96). The Present Pain Intensity Scale revealed a mean of (1.66) for Part 2. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze choices from the 78 possible word selections that categorize the four dimensions of the McGill Pain Questionnaire: sensory, affective, evaluative, and miscellaneous. Subjects selected 444 words from these four pain components, and their rank order from the highest to the lowest numbers were sensory (227), affective (90), miscellaneous (75), and evaluative (52). Although a mean Present Pain Intensity score of 1.66 demonstrated good pain management, patients with advanced cancer in home hospice care chose words that described four main pain patterns: “tiring and exhausting” (11.5%), “troublesome and annoying” (8.8%), “dull and aching” (7.7%), and “nauseating and sickening” (6.8%).

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0162-220X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:2001

数据来源: OVID