Research in nursing & health
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Although researchers have identified beneficial coping strategies for cancer patients, existing coping measures do not capture the preferred coping strategies of older African American cancer survivors. A new measure, the Ways of Helping Questionnaire (WHQ), was evaluated with 385 African American cancer survivors. ⋯ Evidence regarding hypothesized relationships with measures of well-being and another coping measure was mixed. The WHQ's content coverage makes it especially relevant for older African American cancer survivors.
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Multivariate methods are required to assess the interrelationships among multiple, concurrent symptoms. We examined the conceptual and contextual appropriateness of commonly used multivariate methods for cancer symptom cluster identification. ⋯ As a basis for new directions in symptom management, FA methods are more appropriate than HCA. Principal axis factoring or maximum likelihood factoring, the scree plot, oblique rotation, and clinical interpretation are recommended approaches to symptom cluster identification.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized controlled trial of SPIRIT: an effective approach to preparing African-American dialysis patients and families for end of life.
This randomized controlled trial tested an intervention, Sharing Patients' Illness Representations to Increase Trust (SPIRIT), designed to enhance communication regarding end-of-life care between African Americans with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and their chosen surrogate decision makers (N = 58 dyads). We used surveys and semi-structured interviews to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of SPIRIT on patient and surrogate outcomes at 1 week and 3 months post-intervention. We also evaluated patients' deaths and surrogates' end-of-life decision making to assess surrogates' perceptions of benefits and limitations of the SPIRIT while facing end-of-life decisions. We found that SPIRIT promoted communication between patients and their surrogates and was effective and well received by the participants.