European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
-
To increase our knowledge of how nurses assess breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP); and whether they find it difficult to distinguish BTCP from background pain; how they estimate the impact of BTCP on patients' daily lives, and the factors that nurses consider to induce BTCP. Variations in their use of assessment tools and their ability to distinguish between different types of pain were also examined in terms of the number of years of oncology nursing experience and the practice in different countries. ⋯ The nurses reported that BTCP greatly interfered with patients' lives, and many nurses had problems distinguishing between background pain and BTCP. Nurses require more knowledge about BTCP management, and guidelines should be developed for clinical use.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Fifteen-minute music intervention reduces pre-radiotherapy anxiety in oncology patients.
Oncology patients may respond to radiation treatment with anxiety expressed as stress, fear, depression, and frustration. This study aimed to investigate effects of music intervention on reducing pre-radiotherapy anxiety in oncology patients. ⋯ Music therapy decreased State anxiety levels, Trait anxiety levels and systolic blood pressure in oncology patients who received the intervention prior to radiotherapy.
-
Since chemotherapy has largely become an outpatient treatment, adequate self-management is of great importance. Available instruments focus exclusively on dealing with side effects. However, self-care during chemotherapy not only concerns symptom self-management. The aim of this study was to develop a valid instrument to assess patient self-care during chemotherapy. ⋯ The L-PaSC demonstrated good content validity and psychometric properties. The L-PaSC can be applied in research and clinical practice for evaluating patient self-care during chemotherapy.
-
Comparative Study
Cytokine gene variation is associated with depressive symptom trajectories in oncology patients and family caregivers.
Depressive symptoms are common in cancer patients and their family caregivers (FCs). While these symptoms are characterized by substantial interindividual variability, the factors that predict this variability remain largely unknown. This study sought to confirm latent classes of oncology patients and FCs with distinct depressive symptom trajectories and to examine differences in phenotypic and genotypic characteristics among these classes. ⋯ Findings confirm the four latent classes of depressive symptom trajectories previously identified in a sample of breast cancer patients. Variations in cytokine genes may influence variability in depressive symptom trajectories.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Results of a randomized controlled pilot study of a self-management intervention for cancer pain.
This paper reports findings from a randomized controlled pilot study evaluating the PRO-SELF Plus Pain Control Program, a U.S.-developed cancer pain self-management intervention, regarding feasibility and effect sizes in a German patient sample. ⋯ NCT00920504.