European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
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Comparative Study
Symptoms in the cancer patient: of importance for their caregivers' quality of life and mental health?
To examine the level of symptom burden in a sample of cancer patients in a curative and palliative phase. In addition to determine a) whether the patients' symptom burden and patients' demographic variables, and b) the caregivers' demographic variables' impact on the caregivers' quality of life and mental health. ⋯ In this study no significant differences were revealed when comparing symptom burden among cancer patients in different stages of the disease. Caregivers reported more depression when patients had trouble sleeping and more declined mental quality of life when patients were younger. Female caregivers reported more anxiety than male caregivers.
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To explore the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of nurses who administer chemotherapy to children and young people. ⋯ As anticipated nurses new to chemotherapy administration were initially anxious about the role and they worried about making a drug error. Education and support from colleagues appears to have a positive effect on reducing worry and increasing competence.
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The impact of childhood cancer on the family has been studied in different cultures and continues to be an object of study and concern, In Lebanon, a country of 4 million people 282 new pediatric cases of cancer age <20 years diagnosed in 2004 were reported in 2008. ⋯ The study contributes to the knowledge that would help health care professionals understand the experiences and challenges that are faced by Lebanese families living with a child with cancer. This awareness would serve as a basis for health care professionals in general and nurses in particular to understand parents' experiences, and offer support, elicit communication of feelings, and examine possibilities for forming a partnership during the challenging course of the child's illness. Supported parents are more likely to provide more effective care to their child with cancer.
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High incidence rates of breast cancer (BC) emphasize the need to address health-related quality of life (QoL) in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the QoL, symptom prevalence and management, functional ability, and quality of care in Lebanese women with BC at a tertiary health care facility. ⋯ Strategies addressing symptom management in particular psychological symptoms need to be developed and implemented in addition to a holistic multidisciplinary palliative care approach.
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Our aim is to describe the number and distribution of requests addressed to an Advanced Practice Nursing team for functional problems of totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) and to describe, in detail, the malfunction management by the type and number of additional investigations and treatment modalities. ⋯ TIVAD malfunction-defined operationally in terms of injection and/or aspiration problems-reflect all functional complications encountered in practice. Adherence to the Leuven Malfunction Management Protocol can ensure that, in most cases, catheter patency can be fully restored without removing or replacing the TIVAD. The Advanced Practice Nursing team coordinates the following treatments, investigations, and procedures: radiological catheter tip verification; thrombolytic agent administration and, if necessary, subsequent injection of solutions to dissolve drug precipitates or lipid deposits; linogram; percutaneous sleeve stripping; and TIVAD removal/replacement.