Nursing research
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A substantial portion of the 1.3 million persons diagnosed annually with cancer receive neurotoxic chemotherapy that may produce distressful symptoms and changes in functional ability. However, little is known about the symptom experience and daily life effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). ⋯ Having CIPN results in diverse symptom patterns and degrees of physical symptom distress from mild to severe, emotional distress, alterations in functional ability, and social role impairment. Comprehensive clinical and research measures are needed to assess the full spectrum of CIPN effects on everyday life.
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With greater numbers of older adults relocating to independent living communities (ILCs), there is an increasing need to determine whether factors such as self-efficacy can facilitate relocation adjustment. However, no relocation self-efficacy instrument is available. ⋯ Identifying older adults at risk for difficulty in adjusting to relocation prior to moving to an ILC by using a measure of relocation self-efficacy has important implications for their health and life satisfaction. This study suggests that the SERS may be useful in identifying such individuals and alerting healthcare professionals to initiate early interventions to facilitate positive relocation adjustment. Further testing of the SERS with heterogeneous socioeconomic, marital, ethnic, and racial samples is needed.
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Despite three decades of empirical investigation into research utilization and a renewed emphasis on evidence-based medicine and evidence-based practice in the past decade, understanding of factors influencing research uptake in nursing remains limited. There is, however, increased awareness that organizational influences are important. ⋯ The findings highlight the combined importance of culture, leadership, and evaluation to increase research utilization and improve patient safety. The findings may serve to strengthen the PARIHS framework and to suggest that, although it is not fully developed, the framework is an appropriate guide to implement research into practice.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluation of an integrated communication skills training program for nurses in cancer care in Beijing, China.
Nurses have considerable needs for communication skills training in cancer care because of the general lack of education and training on oncology-specific communication skills in Mainland China. ⋯ Nurses' communication skills could be developed and consolidated under the integrated communication skills training model. Development of effective interventions to change nurses' negative outcome expectancies in communication with cancer patients is needed in further study.
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The work environment of intensive care nurses may have substantial impact on both nursing outcomes and patient safety. The factors in a nurse's immediate work environment, in the local work context, have not been studied in detail to provide useful, specific information for work redesign efforts to improve nurse's work and patient safety. Performance obstacles are the factors that hinder intensive care nurses' capacity to perform their jobs and that are associated closely with their immediate work environment. ⋯ Intensive care nurses experience a variety of performance obstacles in their work environment. Future research should investigate the impact of various performance obstacles on nursing workload, nursing quality of working life, and quality and safety of care, as well as the impact of interventions aimed at redesigning the work system of ICU nurses to remove performance obstacles.