Cancer nursing
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Over 2 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed annually in China. In addition, cancer is the leading cause of death in China. Because cancer is often diagnosed in more advanced stages in China, a higher percentage of patients will experience pain related to their disease or treatment. ⋯ Most of these descriptive correlational studies evaluated the physiologic and sensory dimensions of the pain experience. Most of the patients reported moderate to severe pain and that pain interfered with their normal activities and mood. In contrast, little information is available about the impact of cancer pain on the cognitive and sociocultural dimensions of the pain experience for Chinese patients.
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Although caregiver burden has been studied extensively, cancer patients' self-perceived burden on caregivers has been an understudied phenomenon. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to validate the Self-perceived Burden Scale, a 10-item self-report instrument designed to measure chronically ill patients' experience of burden. Participants were 106 cancer patients (site nonspecific) receiving active cancer treatments at a university cancer center. ⋯ Tests of divergent validity indicated that the Self-perceived Burden Scale was independent of age, number of people living in the household, disease site, cancer treatment, and sociofamilial well-being. Findings indicate that the Self-perceived Burden Scale may be a useful instrument to assess patients' perceptions of burden on their caregivers. Further studies of the role of patient burden in psychosocial well-being and global quality of life, including validation of the Self-perceived Burden Scale on a larger study sample, are warranted.
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There is a paucity of research on the incidence and impact of lower body lymphedema in the gynecologic cancer population. The cornerstone of management for gynecologic cancer is cytoreductive surgery. Depending on the site of the cancer, surgery traditionally involves removal of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and cervix, accompanied with extensive node dissection throughout the pelvic cavity, and, in the case of ovarian cancer, removal of the omentum. ⋯ Survivors have described tightness, swelling, and heaviness. Despite these clinical findings, no systematic study of lower body lymphedema in women with gynecologic cancer has been conducted. Whether lower body lymphedema is as debilitating and long-term as post-mastectomy lymphedema is not empirically known.
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Home death has a special cultural meaning for Taiwanese patients who are dying and their family members. However, very limited evidence has been presented on the impact of home death on caregiver bereavement outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the preference for place of death by Taiwanese patients dying of cancer and the actual place of death and to investigate the relationship between place of death of a patient and grief reactions of the family caregivers. ⋯ Of these patients, 43% of their preferences were congruent with the actual place of death, whereas 79% of the family caregivers' preferences were congruent with the patients' actual place of death. Finally, the place of death was not a significant predictor of caregivers' grief reactions immediately after the loss of a loved one or at 1 month after the death occurred. This study provides important implications for future studies and clinical practice.
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The rates of incidence and mortality of breast cancer in Lithuania are increasing and, although a mammography screening program is present, attendance rate is rather low. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the revised Champion's Health Belief Model Scale in measuring Lithuanian women's beliefs about breast cancer and screening. The data were collected from 350 female citizens 40 to 69 years old living in the urban district, and having no history of breast cancer and no mammogram in the past. ⋯ We conclude that the Champion's Health Belief Model Scale is a reliable and valid tool for measuring the screening beliefs toward breast cancer among Lithuanian women. The model gave better results when the motivation items were subdivided into subscales related to general concern about health and related to preventive health practices and were considered separately. Mammography barrier item "having a routine mammogram or x-ray of the breast would make me worry about breast cancer" was deleted from the Lithuanian Champion's Health Belief Model Scale.