Cancer nursing
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Coping with grief after a child's death is a complex and dynamic process. The Two-Track Model of Bereavement, which served as the theoretical framework for this study, examines biopsychosocial reactions to bereavement (track I) and attachment to the deceased (track II). ⋯ Training programs for nurses need to be developed to help nurses be sensitive to maternal loss and grief and to incorporate the bereaved mother's relationship with her deceased child into interventions.
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Cancer in young adults is rare, but the intensity of cancer treatment increases the risk of physical and psychosocial impacts on patients' entire lives. Young adult survivors are underrepresented in research, and knowledge of cancer survivors in this age group is scarce, especially knowledge of transition from cancer treatment to everyday life. ⋯ The results suggest a major shortcoming in both preparation for survivorship, multidisciplinary follow-ups, and knowledge. A shift to a more holistic perspective in survivorship care is suggested.
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The meaning and role of hope in parents of children with life-threatening illnesses remain relatively unstudied. ⋯ Understanding parental hope may assist healthcare professionals to avoid overloading parents with too much information at once. Healthcare professionals can also ensure that social support from family, community, and the medical center is available for parents and that their physical and emotional needs are being met to ensure that they maintain hope to best care for their child with cancer.
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Pain is a major problem for patients with advanced cancer and one of the most frequent and disturbing of all cancer-related symptoms. Researchers continue to report that cancer pain remains undertreated. Inadequate pain control can significantly affect the patient's quality of life and may in turn affect the patient's will to live or comply with treatment recommendations. A better understanding of the experience of cancer pain management is important in identifying factors responsible for undertreated pain. ⋯ Special attention should be paid by policymakers, professionals, and family caregivers to the marginalized group of cancer patients who suffer with pain.
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Comparative Study
Procedural care for adult bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: qualitative research findings from Australia.
This article presents a subset of findings on the experience of bone marrow aspiration and biopsy (BMAB) from an Australian hematology survivorship study. ⋯ The insights provide urgency to the call for further research to improve clinical practice and procedural care in relation to BMABs. The strong recommendation from the study is that procedural pain in relation to BMABs for hematology patients be managed from the initial procedure as the consequences of a traumatic experience can be far reaching, particularly in light of the need for repeated BMABs over the treatment trajectory. As specialist nurses are now increasingly taking responsibility for carrying out such procedures, the findings have implications for the nursing profession.