European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
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Comparative Study
Symptom prevalence and changes of symptoms over ten days in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer: a descriptive study.
This prospective study described symptom prevalence and changes of symptoms over ten days in patients with advanced cancer admitted to two Swiss tertiary care hospitals because of symptoms, deterioration of health status, or complications. ⋯ High symptom prevalence at admission, identification of areas in symptom management with the potential for improvement, and wide variability in symptom prevalence among patients call for comprehensive symptom assessment and individual treatment, especially in patients with a worsening health status.
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The diagnosis of lung cancer in the advanced stage of illness, the poor prognosis associated with the disease, and the side effects of chemotherapy all have an impact on various dimensions of quality of life (QoL). ⋯ Lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy suffer many limitations due to the symptoms and disruptions to their QoL, arising from both the disease process and its treatment. Lung cancer patients need to be assessed regularly and supported.
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To evaluate nursing practice in Flanders (Belgium) regarding skin care during radiotherapy and the effect of the introduction of an evidence based protocol on daily nursing practice. ⋯ The management of skin reactions does not always correspond with current scientific knowledge. However, the results of this study show that the dissemination and implementation of a skin care protocol enhanced standardization in Flanders, improved adheration to evidence based guidelines and lead to the disappearance of outdated ritualistic practices.
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The effect of symptom clusters on functional status and quality of life in women with breast cancer.
The purposes of this study of women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy with/without radiation therapy were to determine whether: (1) subgroups of oncology outpatients can be identified based on a specific symptom cluster (i.e., pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression); (2) these subgroups differ on outcomes (i.e., functional status, quality of life); (3) subgroup membership changes over time. ⋯ Subgroups of patients with different symptom experiences were identified. For some patients severity of all four symptoms persisted months after cancer treatment. Initial and ongoing assessment to identify those patients in the ALL HIGH patient subgroup is important so that appropriate interventions to improve functional status and quality of life can be offered.