Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Patient With Questions About Cancer Risk, Deborah O. Himes, Jennie Vagher

Faculty Publications

Primary care nurse practitioners routinely care for patients with personal or family histories of cancer. Approximately 5% to 10% of all cancers are related to hereditary cancer syndromes (HCSs), which cause an increased risk for developing more cancers and cancers at earlier ages than the general population. Nurse practitioners in primary care must become comfortable with identifying patients at risk for HCSs. Ordering genetic tests can be a challenge because the number of genetic tests available is growing at a rapid pace. This case highlights a woman who survived breast cancer at age 25 and basal cell carcinoma at age …

Oncology Nurses' Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors In End-Of-Life Care: Providing Vital Family Care, Renea L. Beckstrand, Joan Collette, Lynn Callister, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy

Faculty Publications

Purpose/Objectives: To determine the impact of obstacles and supportive behaviors in end-of-life (EOL) care as perceived by hospital-based oncology nurses.

Design: A 69-item mailed survey.

Setting: National random sample.

Sample: 1,005 nurse members of the Oncology Nursing Society who had provided EOL care for patients with cancer.

Methods: Three mailings yielded 380 usable responses from 912 eligible respondents, resulting in a 42% return rate.

Main Research Variables: Size and frequency of EOL care obstacles and supportive behaviors for patients with cancer in a hospital setting.

Findings: Results of this research demonstrate the need for more EOL education and help in …

Oncology Nurses’ Perceptions Of Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors In End-Of-Life Care, Renea L. Beckstrand, A. Elaine Bond, Lynn Clark Callister, Josie Moore

Faculty Publications

Cancer accounts for one in four deaths in the United States. Oncology nurses care for dying patients on a daily basis. Research on specific obstacles that impede and supportive behaviors that help the delivery of end-of-life (EOL) care is limited.

The Efficacy Of Complementary Therapies In Reducing Cancer-Related Pain, Sarah A. Hocking

Student Works

Pain is a persistent and troubling condition for patients with cancer. Because medications often provide incomplete management of cancer-related pain, adjunct treatment may be necessary to provide more complete pain management. Complementary and alternative therapies are becoming increasingly prevalent in cancer pain management. However, lack of knowledge regarding the efficacy of complementary therapies may prevent patients and nurses from implementing them. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of literature on the efficacy of various complementary and alternative therapies for managing cancer-related pain, including massage, aromatherapy, hypnosis, and music therapy. Eighteen recent research articles related to this …

Improved Cancer Care Through Increased Basic Cancer Education, Patricia Rushton, Lillian Nail, Sherry Brown

Faculty Publications

Literature shows that nursing care in rural communities improves when the nurse has increased knowledge through continuing education. Specific oncology studies in areas of stress, pain assessment and documentation, and death and dying.(Hedman-1990,Camp-Sorrell-1991,Foglesong-1987,Webber-1991) demonstrate similar results. It is reasonable that continuing education in areas of the cancer process, standard therapies, and methods of symptom control would improve patient care. This project allowed nurses who had limited access to cancer education in rural areas of Utah to receive basic cancer education. The subjects of this education included: 1) the cancer process, 2) chemotherapy, 3)radiation therapy, 4) the use and care of …

Patient And Care Giver Perceptions Of Cancer Pain Control, Patricia Rushton, Sherry Brown

Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: This study measured the perceptions of Utah cancer patients and cargivers concerning knowledge about and adequacy of pharmacologic cancer pain control. METHODS: A descriptive survey was used. Questionnaires were sent to cancer patients and caregivers surveying their knowledge about and perceptions of the adequacy of pharmacologic cancer pain control. RESULTS: The study had a 52% response rate (259 of 500). Eighty five percent (219 of 259) of the respondents stated they had no cancer pain. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Cancer literature indicated that much cancer pain is not effectively controlled. The majority of the respondents of this study reported no pain. …

Autopsy In The Cancer Patient: The Nurse's Role, Patricia Rushton

Faculty Publications

Nurses spend many hours with dying cancer patients, developing close relationships with both the patients and their families. However, nurses are frequently not involved in the process of requesting an autopsy, either by choice or tradition. During this time of great stress, the nurse can be more involved. The nurse who understands the reasons for autopsy and its ramification for the grieving process can be actively involved in supporting the physician who makes the request and the family members who must make the this difficult decision. It is possible that the nurse can be the health team member designated to …