Cancer nursing
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Recent evidence suggests that women who receive treatment for breast cancer may experience multiple symptoms that decrease their functional status and quality of life. Few studies evaluated the occurrence, severity, and distress of multiple symptoms in women at the initiation of radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer. ⋯ Findings suggest that clinicians need to use a multidimensional symptom assessment tool in women with breast cancer at the initiation of RT.
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A basic tenet of palliative care is to maintain an individual's control over the dying process. However, when decline occurs quickly, as may be the case in advanced cancer, transition of responsibility for illness management to a family caregiver may become necessary when care takes place in the home. ⋯ Palliative care education for nurses in all care health settings may ease transitions for end-stage patients. Health promotion initiatives designed to educate the lay public about advance directives and end-stage illness management in a home setting may help to prepare family caregivers for their future responsibilities.
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Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors often exhibit late symptoms or adverse effects of treatment that may severely disrupt their ability to speak, eat, breathe, and associate with others. Research has focused on survival and quality of life associated with treatment and/or stage of cancer. Although research shows communication problems in 50% of survivors, few studies have assessed functional speech, and none describe HNC survivor perspectives on speech or communication more broadly. ⋯ Survivors benefited from support and understanding offered by family, friends, and healthcare professionals. This difficult situation served as a catalyst for deeper human change.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The relationship between hope and caregiver strain in family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.
Today, family caregivers (FCs) are involved in all aspects of patient care. Hope influences one's ability to cope with stressful situations. However, little information is available on how FCs' levels of hope influence the strain they experience in their caregiving role. ⋯ Oncology nurses need to identify FCs at highest risk for increased strain and provide interventions to enhance hope and decrease perceived strain.
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Symptom clusters assessment shifts the clinical focus from a specific symptom to the patient's experience as a whole. Few studies have examined breast cancer symptom clusters during treatment, and fewer studies have addressed symptom clusters during radiation therapy (RT). The theoretical underpinning of this study is the Symptoms Experience Model. Research is needed to identify antecedents and consequences of cancer-related symptom clusters. ⋯ These findings underscore the need to define and standardize the measurement of symptom clusters and understand variability in concurrent symptoms. Attention to symptom clusters shifts the clinical focus from a specific symptom to the patient's experience as a whole and helps identify the most effective interventions.