| 1. |
- Andershed, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Involvement of relatives in the care of the dying in different care cultures : involvement in the dark or in the light?
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 21:2, s. 106-111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this prospective study was to increase existing knowledge about the involvement of relatives in care of the dying and to shed light on the relatives' sense of coherence. Six relatives were followed via qualitative interviews during the patients' final period of life and after their deaths. The patients died in different forms of care: surgical department, nursing home, inpatient hospice ward, and at home. What the relatives had in common was that they had, in different ways, followed the patient from the first symptoms, through different forms of care, up until death. Some participated very actively in the care. Relatives' involvement in care can be described as involvement in the light or involvement in the dark. Involvement in the light is based on a trusting relationship between the family and the staff. Involvement in the dark is based on insufficient interplay and collaboration, in which the relatives are not seen or acknowledged by the staff, but instead must grope around in the dark when they try to support the patient. Rapid course of illness can be a risk factor for involvement in the dark. It seems that the relatives' sense of coherence was an important factor enabling them to be involved in the light. Humanistic care can constitute a buffer, thereby increasing the possibilities for relatives to be involved in the light.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Börjeson, Sussanne, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Similarities and differences in assessing nausea on a verbal category scale and a visual analogue scale.
- 1997
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 20:4, s. 260-266
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of verbal category scales in assessing patient symptoms is evolving, but the extent to which reliability and precision are lost in using them as opposed to a visual analogue scale (VAS) remains uncertain. The present study analyzed the concordance between a four-point verbal category scale and a VAS in assessing nausea intensity in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The analysis of a total of 348 simultaneous ratings by 104 women over four cycles revealed good concordance between the scales. The means of the VAS ratings (range 0-100 mm) corresponding to the four verbal categories divided the scale in four almost equally large parts (no nausea = 0.7, mild = 24.8, moderate = 48.3, severe = 75.1). However, the VAS ranges were wide. On an individual level a one-step change in the verbal category was associated with an average change of 20 mm on the VAS. The choice of scale to use should be based on the need in the particular situation. When measuring intensity of nausea in patients, the VAS is a reasonable choice due to its possibly greater ability to detect changes over time. On the group level, findings on a four-point category scale and a VAS on the average seem similar.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Lampic, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Anxiety and depression in hospitalized patients with cancer : agreement in patient-staff dyads
- 1996
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 19:6, s. 419-428
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patient and staff perceptions of patient anxiety and depression were determined in 53 dyads of hospitalized cancer patients and their nursing staff Patient anxiety and depression were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. In addition, anxiety was measured by a numerical (0-10) scale. A staff person who had been caring for a certain patient the previous 3 days assessed that patient's anxiety and depression with staff versions of the same instruments. For one subsample (n = 18), staff were also asked to estimate their own hypothetical anxiety were they to have the same disease as the patient. Results indicate that staff overestimated patient anxiety systematically and showed limited ability to adequately assess patient anxiety and depression in terms of rank. Patients and staff agreed about individual patients' levels of anxiety and depression only to a limited degree. Discrepancies between patient and staff ratings of patient anxiety predominantly concerned patients reporting low anxiety levels. Several explanations for these findings ave discussed. One possible explanation, the ''requirement of mourning'' hypothesis, is supported by our findings that staff estimation of patient anxiety was strongly associated with their estimation of their own hypothetical anxiety if they were to be in the patient's situation.
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| 6. |
- Larsen, Joacim, et al.
(författare)
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Health-related quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation
- 1996
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 19:5, s. 368-375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The functional capacity and the health-related quality of life were investigated in nine women (ages 23-58 years) undergoing high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Data were obtained by using two questionnaires: the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and the Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (SWED-QUAL). The patients answered the questionnaires on three occasions: on admission to the transplant unit, at discharge from the unit, and 7-15 weeks after ASCT. It was found that the women were affected by the treatment in various dimensions of daily life. The transplantation primarily affected their self-rated physical health and functions. Their physical-health status was poorest at the time of discharge. The women's emotional status was found to be poor during the whole study period. The results of the present study indicate that professional nursing is essential for breast cancer patients undergoing ASCT.
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| 7. |
- Larsson, Gunnel, et al.
(författare)
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Quality of life in patients with endocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract : Patient and staff perceptions
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 21:6, s. 411-420
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patient and staff perceptions regarding the importance of selected quality-of-life (QoL) aspects and patient ratings of their present QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30) were investigated The study comprised 17 patients with endocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and their staff paired in dyads. Both patients and staff rated physical aspects of life (e.g., "wash yourself; dress, eat, etc.," "have a good health," "not have pain") as most important for experiencing a good QoL. Staff considered work as more important for experiencing a good QoL than did patients. Patients rated their QoL as relatively good and were more satisfied with certain QoL aspects than staff perceived them to be. Staff did not accurately judge a certain. patient's satisfaction with various QoL aspects, which suggests that there is room for staff to improve their understanding of these aspects. There were no significant mean value differences between patient and staff ratings of patient anxiety and depression, but no significant correlations within dyads. This suggests that the communication between patients and staff could be improved in this respect.
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| 8. |
- Persson, Lena, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Spouses' view during their partners' illness and treatment
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 21:2, s. 97-105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nine spouses of people who had suffered from acute leukaemia or highly malignant lymphoma were interviewed about their experiences of everyday life throughout their partner’s illness and treatment, and their view of the professional care provided. The transcribed texts were subjected to phenomenological-hermeneutic analysis. The spouses felt they were in a situation of overall severe crisis i.e. experiencing feelings of distress, restrictions and limited or lack of support. The analysis revealed three family types: the couple acting as a unit, the couple acting independently on equal terms, and the couple acting separately with the spouse in a subordinate position. The spouses´ evaluation of the entire experience varied according to the family type and the spouses´ personal resources, which influenced the availability and utilization of their social network and the support of health care staff. Contentment was related to the couple acting as a unit or the couple acting independently on equal terms and taking control over the situation, actively asking for support and requiring the staff to meet their needs. Discontentment was related to subordination of the spouse to the partner or to health care staff, and failure to obtain support within the couple or from others. Empowering the spouses may mean helping them develop their skills, providing opportunities and authority and gaining access to resources based on knowledge of the family type, the consent of the partner and the spouses´ freedom to make choices. This may well lead to increased efficiency and have positive effects for the patients, the spouses and for them both as a couple.
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| 9. |
- Persson, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Spouses' view during their partners' illness and treatment
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Ltd.. - 1538-9804 .- 0162-220X. ; 21:2, s. 97-105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nine spouses of people who had suffered from acute leukemia or highly malignant lymphoma were interviewed about their everyday life experiences throughout their partner's illness and treatment, and concerning their view of the professional care provided. The transcribed texts were subjected to phenomenological-hermeneutic analysis. The spouses felt they were in a situation of overall severe crisis (i.e., experiencing feelings of distress, restrictions, and limited or lack of support). The analysis revealed three family types: the couple acting as a unit, the couple acting independently on equal terms, and the couple acting separately with the spouse in a subordinate position. The spouses' evaluation of the entire experience varied according to the family type and the spouses' personal resources, which influenced the availability and utilization of their social network as well as the support of health-care staff. Contentment was related to the couple acting as a unit or the couple acting independently on equal terms and taking control over the situation, actively asking for support and requiring the staff to meet their needs. Discontentment was related to subordination of the spouse to the partner or to health-care staff, and failure of the couple to obtain support between them or from others. Empowering the spouses may mean helping them develop their skills, providing them with opportunities and authority, and assisting them in gaining access to resources based on knowledge of the family type, the consent of the partner, and the spouse's freedom to make choices. This may well lead to increased efficiency and have positive effects for the patient, for the spouse, and for them both as a couple.
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| 10. |
- Wengstrom, Yvonne, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing nursing problems of importance for the development of nursing care in a radiation therapy department
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 21:1, s. 50-56
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The challenges to nurses working in the rapidly changing milieu of radiotherapy in cancer care are great. New treatment regimens continually require reexamination of old assumptions about patients' needs and communication between colleagues. In order to continue the development of the nursing care in the radiation therapy department, the purpose of this study was to assess the nursing problems experienced in the care of the cancer patients and the nursing problems experienced in work with other professionals from the nurse's perspective. Eighteen of the 38 nurses in the radiation therapy department were invited to participate in the study. The mean age of the nurses was 39 years (range 25-57 years). The study was carried out by using a three-phase, structured, communication-process method according to the Delphi technique. The nurses reported "poor follow-up of patients who have completed radiation therapy," closely followed by "finding time to document the nursing care" and "finding time to treat the scheduled patients" as the most problematic areas of importance for the development of nursing care. The nursing problems considered to be the most difficult in the work with other professionals were "lack of communication," "lack of knowledge of our work and competence," and "lack of comprehension of each other's professions." With the present trend in the health care system toward smaller financial resources, it is necessary to find new ways of organizing nursing care in order to find time to take care of the patient's problems during and after the radiation therapy. This study constituted the base for organizing a nursing care clinic in the department with sufficient time to assess and monitor side effects, patient education, sexual counselling, and coping assistance.
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