Oncology nursing forum
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Oncology nursing forum · Jun 1999
The Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching: a new format of the lndex of Nausea and Vomiting.
To determine the reliability of the Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), a new format of the Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting Form 2 (INV-2). ⋯ Nurses have a focal role in managing symptoms. Managing nausea, vomiting, and retching requires excellent assessment skills of the patient's personal symptom experience and knowledge of pharmacology. Efficient, cost-saving assessments require accurate self-report instruments that permit patients to quantify their symptom experiences. The INVR can provide a scientific base from which to prescribe and teach patients and may improve their quality of life. Reliable and valid self-reporting instruments are essential for managing these adverse symptoms.
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Oncology nursing forum · Apr 1999
Pain and distress in adults and children undergoing peripheral blood stem cell or bone marrow transplant.
To examine the pattern of self-report of pain, opioids received, and nurses' assessments of pain, somatic distress, mood/behavior, cooperation/compliance, and activity in adults and children undergoing stem cell or bone marrow transplant. ⋯ Administering opioid therapy by continuous infusion with titration or bolus doses as needed was effective in managing pain in transplant recipients. Nurses should be prepared to give children more opioids/kg than adults receive to maintain a comparable level of comfort. Self-reported pain level should not be expected to correlate with level of patient cooperation/compliance with care.
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To explore how family care-givers develop and respond to an awareness that their relative is dying. ⋯ Nurses need to identify processes to ensure that family caregivers' needs for information and support are given high priority and that supportive interventions identified are based on a sensitive understanding of the experience of the family caregiver. The processes may include assisting family caregivers to maintain hope, sustain social relationships, and make preparations for the death. Further research into how family caregivers use these strategies for managing their developing awareness of dying is required.
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Oncology nursing forum · Nov 1998
Case ReportsCultural assessment of black American men treated for prostate cancer: clinical case studies.
To describe aspects of culturally competent care. Two case studies of black American men who received treatment for prostate cancer are presented to illustrate the use of the explanatory model of illness as a guide for conducting a cultural assessment. ⋯ Oncology nurses need to increase their awareness of cultural variations and include them in the patient's plan of care.
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Oncology nursing forum · Oct 1998
ReviewActive euthanasia and assisted suicide: a perspective from an American abortion and Dutch euthanasia scenario.
To discuss the critical issues involved in the legalization of active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. ⋯ If active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide practices are legalized, oncology nurses will have to make decisions about their desired degree of involvement in acts that will end their patients' lives.