European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
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The effect of alopecia on men and women has not been fully documented in the literature, especially for Turkish cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of chemotherapy-related alopecia and how it affects the body image and quality of life of Turkish male and female cancer patients, in order to identify variables that may be important in the perception of this problem. ⋯ This study contributes new knowledge on the cultural characteristics of Turkish patients, which may assist other researchers working with different international populations. Alopecia is a difficult side effect for both men and women. Health professionals should assess and educate patients differently from the current standard.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Differences in depression, anxiety, and quality of life between women with and without breast pain prior to breast cancer surgery.
Little is known about the relationships between pain, anxiety, and depression in women prior to breast cancer surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for differences in anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QOL) in women who did and did not report the occurrence of breast pain prior to breast cancer surgery. We hypothesized that women with pain would report higher levels of anxiety and depression as well as poorer QOL than women without pain. ⋯ Our a priori hypotheses were only partially supported. Findings from this study suggest that, regardless of pain status, anxiety and depression are common problems in women prior to breast cancer surgery.
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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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Randomized Controlled Trial
Supporting self-management of pain in cancer patients: methods and lessons learned from a randomized controlled pilot study.
The purposes of this paper are to describe the methods used and the knowledge gained during a pilot study that evaluated the effects of a self-management intervention for cancer pain, as well as the adaptations that were made for a larger clinical trial. ⋯ NCT00920504.