1. |
- Berg Doukkali, Eva, et al.
(author)
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Adolescents and Young Adults Experiences of Childhood Cancer: Descriptions of Daily Life 5 Years After Diagnosis
- 2013
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 36:5, s. 400-407
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanSurvivors of childhood cancer are a growing population in society. These young people have a high risk of developing chronic health problems with a potential strong impact on their lives. How a childhood cancer experience affects survivors in adolescence has been studied to a limited extent; an increased understanding of this young group is needed to improve follow-up care. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanObjective: less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanThe aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how childhood cancer affects the lives of survivors by exploring adolescents and young adults views of what it is like living with this experience. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods: less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanFifty-nine 11- to 22-year-olds were interviewed a median of 5 years after a cancer diagnosis (response rate, 66%). Data were collected through telephone interviews and were analyzed using qualitative content analysis techniques. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanThree groups of informants were identified according to their descriptions of the influence of cancer treatment on their daily life: feeling like anyone else (informants who described that the cancer experience had almost no influence on current life) (49%), feeling almost like others (those who described some influence) (44%), and feeling different (those describing a great influence on current life) (7%). less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMost of the adolescents and young adults appear to get along well, although many informants described that life was affected to some extent by having had cancer. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanImplications for Practice: less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanFollow-up care is needed that can identify those young survivors of childhood cancer having trouble with daily life and offer them support to strengthen their resources in managing difficulties in relation to having had cancer.
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2. |
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3. |
- Blomberg, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Between youth and adulthood : focus group discussions with 30-year-old women about cervical cancer and its prevention in urban Sweden
- 2011
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 34:3, s. e11-e20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Although there is a significant amount of research on cervical cancer screening (CCS), few studies address screening experiences of women related to reasoning about health maintenance and disease prevention in general. Research tends to neglect experiences in different phases of life and experiences of women with different screening histories. Recent literature primarily focuses on adolescents targeted for human papilloma virus vaccinations, whereas perspectives of women who need continued CCS are lacking.Objective: The aim of the study was to explore how 30-year-old women reason about health, ill health, health maintenance, and disease prevention, in relation to cervical cancer, its prevention, and screening.Methods: Through a population-based CCS registry, we randomly sampled women to attend focus group discussions stratified by previous patterns in screening history and test results. Data from 38 attendees were inductively analyzed.Results: Women’s discussions encompassed temporal aspects of the past and the future, with youth in the rearview mirror and the demands of adulthood ahead. Matters related to sickness, including cancer and its prevention, were described as distant and not prioritized in this phase of life. This situation was compounded by lack of relevant information about cervical cancer and screening.Conclusions: The manner 30-year-old women self-defined themselves in the transition between youth and adulthood appears to strongly influence their reasoning about CCS and other forms of health maintenance and disease prevention.Implications for Practice: Cervical cancer screening programs are challenged to adapt both information and organizations to new cohorts of women with different needs and life situations.
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4. |
- Darcy, Laura, et al.
(author)
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The everyday life of the young child shortly after receiving a cancer diagnosis
- 2014
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 37:6, s. 445-456
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:: Providing qualified, evidence-based healthcare to children requires increased knowledge of how cancer affects the young child's life. There is a dearth of research focusing on the young child's experience of everyday life. OBJECTIVE:: The purpose of this study was to explore young children's and their parents' perceptions of how cancer affects the child's health and everyday life shortly after diagnosis. METHODS:: Thirteen children with newly diagnosed cancer aged 1 to 6 years and their parents, connected to a pediatric oncology unit in Southern Sweden, participated in this study through semistructured interviews. Child and parent data were analyzed as a family unit, using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS:: Everyday life was spent at hospital or at home waiting to go back to hospital. Analysis led to the following categories: feeling like a stranger, feeling powerless, and feeling isolated. CONCLUSIONS:: The child wants to be seen as a competent individual requiring information and participation in care. Parents need to be a safe haven for their child and not feel forced to legitimize painful and traumatic procedures by assisting with them. Nurses play a major role in the lives of children. Research with and on the young child is necessary and a way of making them visible and promoting their health and well-being. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:: Nurses need to reevaluate the newly diagnosed child's care routines so as to shift focus from the illness to the child. This requires competent nurses, secure in their caring role.
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5. |
- Darcy, Laura, et al.
(author)
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The everyday life of the young child shortly after receiving a cancer diagnosis, from both children's and parent's perspectives
- 2014
-
In: Cancer Nursing. - Alphen aan den Rijn : Wolters Kluwer. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 37:6, s. 445-456
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Providing qualified, evidence-based healthcare to children requires increased knowledge of how cancer affects the young child's life. There is a dearth of research focusing on the young child's experience of everyday life.Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore young children's and their parents' perceptions of how cancer affects the child's health and everyday life shortly after diagnosis.Methods: Thirteen children with newly diagnosed cancer aged 1 to 6 years and their parents, connected to a pediatric oncology unit in Southern Sweden, participated in this study through semistructured interviews. Child and parent data were analyzed as a family unit, using qualitative content analysis.Results: Everyday life was spent at hospital or at home waiting to go back to hospital. Analysis led to the following categories: feeling like a stranger, feeling powerless, and feeling isolated.Conclusions: The child wants to be seen as a competent individual requiring information and participation in care. Parents need to be a safe haven for their child and not feel forced to legitimize painful and traumatic procedures by assisting with them. Nurses play a major role in the lives of children. Research with and on the young child is necessary and a way of making them visible and promoting their health and well-being.Implications for practice: Nurses need to reevaluate the newly diagnosed child's care routines so as to shift focus from the illness to the child. This requires competent nurses, secure in their caring role.
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6. |
- Enskär, Karin, et al.
(author)
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Young adult survivors of childhood cancer; experiences affecting self-image, relationships and present life
- 2010
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 33, s. E18-E24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Knowledge about how young adults experience being a childhood cancer survivor is limited, as most previous research concerning the quality of life in survivors of childhood cancer has been conducted using standardized questionnaires. The aim of the current study was to identify and describe young adults' own experiences of long-term effects of cancer treatment on their self-image, relationships, and present life related to the impact of being a survivor of childhood cancer. Interviews were held with 7 young adults, 20 to 23 years of age. The verbatim-transcribed interviews were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. The core category was identified as "compensated life picture." All the negative and difficult experiences are compensated for with a positive view on and positive expectations regarding life. This core category was grounded in 5 categories: living a normal life, bodily changes, relationships with and support from others nearby, sentient life, and personal growth. The findings in this study illustrate the importance for healthcare staff to be aware of young adult survivors' experiences of their childhood cancer and its long-term effects. Extra attention and support from the healthcare system after the concluded treatment period are needed via a support program or support group for young adults.
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7. |
- Ervik, Bente, et al.
(author)
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Hit by Waves : Living With Local Advanced or Localized Prostate Cancer Treated With Endocrine Therapy or Under Active Surveillance
- 2010
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 33:5, s. 382-389
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Previous studies of living with prostate cancer have shown that the illness and the treatment cause physical as well as psychosocial problems.Objective: The aim of this study was to illuminate men's experiences living with localized or local advanced prostate cancer when curative treatment such as surgery or radiation therapy is not an option at the time of diagnosis.Methods: The study was conducted via qualitative interviews, using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. Ten men treated with endocrine therapy or under active surveillance were interviewed.Results: Being diagnosed with prostate cancer was described as a shock, with different aspects of the illness revealed gradually. The limited amount of time available for meeting with health care providers contributed to patients' feelings of being left alone with difficulty getting information and help. Sexual and urinary problems were perceived as a threat to their manhood. The spouses provided the closest everyday support.Conclusion: The life situation of these patients can be understood as living in a "state of readiness," expecting something to happen regarding their illness, and not always knowing where to get help. Implications for Practice: The results confirm existing knowledge of patient's experiences in living with prostate cancer regarding the initial shock perceived by the patients, the bodily alterations, and the important role of their spouses. Nurses, as well as general practitioners, must play a more active role in follow-up to ensure that the men and their spouses receive better help and support.
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8. |
- Ervik, B., et al.
(author)
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In the middle and on the sideline : The experience of spouses of men with prostate cancer
- 2013
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 36:3, s. E7-E14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Spouses play an important role in how well patients with prostate cancer manage their illness. Whereas earlier studies mostly included both patients and spouses, this study focuses on the spouses' experiences during the course of the illness. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore how the daily life of female spouses is affected by their husband's prostate cancer. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 9 spouses of men receiving potential curative treatment for prostate cancer. RESULTS: Prostate cancer in men had significant impact on spouses' everyday life. The results showed that spouses strived to achieve a balance between focusing on their own needs and meeting their husbands' needs along the course of the illness. Four themes emerged: strong and optimistic versus vulnerable and overstrained, maintaining the partner's sense of manhood, being on the sideline, and the need for relationships outside the immediate family. CONCLUSION: Being a spouse to a man with prostate cancer is emotionally and practically demanding. There is a danger of the spouses suppressing their own needs in the process of supporting their husbands. Those spouses living in the situation over a period of years expressed fatigue and a shift in focus from their husbands' needs to their own needs for support. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Healthcare providers should provide support for spouses during the course of the illness, encourage spouses to participate in seminars for couples living with prostate cancer, and be aware of the potential for situational fatigue in spouses many years after the diagnosis.
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9. |
- Fallbjörk, Ulrika, 1967-, et al.
(author)
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From "no big deal" to "losing oneself" : different meanings of mastectomy
- 2012
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In: Cancer Nursing. - Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 35:5, s. E41-E48
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Because of early detection and advanced treatment options, more women with breast cancer survive after mastectomy and thus have to face the choice of living with or without a reconstructed breast for many years to come. Objective: This article investigates these women’s narratives about the impact of mastectomy on their lives, as well as their reflections on breast reconstruction.Methods: Fifteen women were strategically chosen from a previous population-based study on mastectomy. They were contacted for further exploration in thematic narrative-inspired interviews 4.5 years after mastectomy.Results: Three types of storylines were identified. In the first storyline, the mastectomy was described as ‘‘no big deal’’; losing a breast did not disturb the women’s view of themselves as women, and breast reconstruction was not even worth consideration. In the second storyline, the women described the mastectomy as shattering their identity. Losing a breast implied losing oneself as a sexual being, a woman, and a person. The third storyline fell in between the other two; the sense of femininity was wounded, but not to the extent that they felt lost as women.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the experience of mastectomy due to breast cancer is very much individual and contextual. Losing a breast may be of minor or major importance.Implications for Practice: Healthcare practitioners should be attentive to how the women themselves experience the personal meaning of losing a breast and guard against vague preconceptions based on the breast-sexuality-femininity discourse and its connection to what the patient needs.
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10. |
- Fritzell, Kaisa, et al.
(author)
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Patients' views of surgery and surveillance for familial adenomatous polyposis.
- 2010
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 33:2, s. E17-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited condition that requires prophylactic surgery (colectomy) followed by a lifetime program of endoscopic surveillance to prevent colorectal cancer. Patients are normally free of symptoms before surgery but a majority report problems related to bowel function postoperatively.OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of how FAP affects life by exploring patients' view of what it is like living with the illness and being committed to a lifelong screening program.METHODS: Three focus group interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative content analysis.RESULTS: The analysis resulted in two categories related to the participants' view of living with FAP. The first category was associated with concerns related to the hereditary and lifelong nature of the disease as well as to the prophylactic surgery and the second category was related to patients' ways of managing life.CONCLUSION: Most participants expressed unmet needs, such as lack of healthcare providers with good knowledge about FAP, practical and psychosocial support, FAP educational programs, and organized meetings with other persons with the condition.IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: One important aspect of living with FAP shared by the participants concerned ways of managing life concerns, something that healthcare providers caring for patients with FAP should identify and support. Furthermore, continuity of care by health care providers with good knowledge about FAP can be an important way of reducing patient concerns.
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11. |
- Henoch, Ingela, 1956, et al.
(author)
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The Swedish Version of the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale : Aspects of Validity and Factors Influencing Nurses' and Nursing Students' Attitudes.
- 2014
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 37:1, s. E1-E11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:: Nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying persons need to be explored. The Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scale has not previously been used in Swedish language. OBJECTIVES:: The objectives of this study were to compare FATCOD scores among Swedish nurses and nursing students with those from other languages, to explore the existence of 2 subscales, and to evaluate influences of experiences on attitudes toward care of dying patients. METHODS:: A descriptive, cross-sectional, and predictive design was used. The FATCOD scores of Swedish nurses from hospice, oncology, surgery clinics, and palliative home care and nursing students were compared with published scores from the United States, Israel, and Japan. Descriptive statistics, t tests, and factor and regression analyses were used. RESULTS:: The sample consisted of 213 persons: 71 registered nurses, 42 enrolled nurses, and 100 nursing students. Swedish FATCOD mean scores did not differ from published means from the United States and Israel, but were significantly more positive than Japanese means. In line with Japanese studies, factor analyses yielded a 2-factor solution. Total FATCOD and subscales had low Cronbach α's. Hospice and palliative team nurses were more positive than oncology and surgery nurses to care for dying patients. CONCLUSIONS:: Although our results suggest that the Swedish FATCOD may comprise 2 distinct scales, the total scale may be the most adequate and applicable for use in Sweden. Professional experience was associated with nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying patients. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE:: Care culture might influence nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying patients; the benefits of education need to be explored.
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12. |
- Henoch, Ingela, et al.
(author)
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The Swedish version of the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD) : Aspects of validity and factors influencing nurses' and nursing students' attitudes
- 2014
-
In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 37:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying persons need to be explored. The Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scale has not previously been used in Swedish language.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to compare FATCOD scores among Swedish nurses and nursing students with those from other languages, to explore the existence of 2 subscales, and to evaluate influences of experiences on attitudes toward care of dying patients.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, and predictive design was used. The FATCOD scores of Swedish nurses from hospice, oncology, surgery clinics, and palliative home care and nursing students were compared with published scores from the United States, Israel, and Japan. Descriptive statistics, t tests, and factor and regression analyses were used.Results: The sample consisted of 213 persons: 71 registered nurses, 42 enrolled nurses, and 100 nursing students. Swedish FATCOD mean scores did not differ from published means from the United States and Israel, but were significantly more positive than Japanese means. In line with Japanese studies, factor analyses yielded a 2-factor solution. Total FATCOD and subscales had low Cronbach [alpha]'s. Hospice and palliative team nurses were more positive than oncology and surgery nurses to care for dying patients.Conclusions: Although our results suggest that the Swedish FATCOD may comprise 2 distinct scales, the total scale may be the most adequate and applicable for use in Sweden. Professional experience was associated with nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying patients.Implication for Practice: Care culture might influence nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying patients; the benefits of education need to be explored.
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13. |
- Jenholt Nolbris, Margaretha, 1956, et al.
(author)
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Grief related to the experience of being the sibling of a child with cancer
- 2014
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 37:5, s. E1-E7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Few studies have described the well siblings' experience of grief when a brother or sister is treated for cancer. Knowing how sibling grief is expressed will guide clinician and family efforts to provide appropriate support.Objective: The aim of this study was to describe siblings' reports of grief related to the experience of having a brother or sister with cancer.Methods: A qualitative descriptive method was chosen based on open-ended interviews with 29 siblings aged 8 to 24 years. Qualitative content analysis was applied to the interview data.Results: Four categories of grief were identified: anticipatory grief after receiving information about the cancer diagnosis, grief and concern about the ill sibling's loss of a normal life, grief about being unimportant and forgotten in the family, and grief that continues after the sibling's death as a kind of bond.Conclusion: Despite variations in age and gender among participating siblings, their thoughts were similar. Grief was experienced differently from the time of the diagnosis onward, in the form of concerns related to the illness and situation of the ill sibling. Grief related to sibling bonds remained after death.Implication for practice: This study recommends offering siblings realistic information about their ill sibling and support for them in their situation from diagnosis and continuously thereafter. To meet the needs of well siblings, it is necessary to ask the siblings about their thoughts and discuss with them their emotions and worries.
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14. |
- Khanjari, Sedigheh, et al.
(author)
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Lower sense of coherence, negative religious coping, and disease severity as indicators of a decrease in quality of life in Iranian family caregivers of relatives with breast cancer during the first 6 months after diagnosis
- 2012
-
In: Cancer Nursing. - Philadelpha, USA : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 35:2, s. 148-156
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Breast cancer challenges not only the patients who suffer from the disease but also their family caregivers. Little is known about how Iranian family caregivers are influenced.Objective: The objective of the study was to describe quality of life (QoL), well-being, sense of coherence (SOC), spirituality, and religious coping in family caregivers of patients with breast cancer at the time of diagnosis (T1) and 6 months after diagnosis (T2) and identify predictive factors of change in QoL.Methods: Data were collected from 150 family caregivers. The Persian version of Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer, Sense of Coherence Scale, Spirituality Perspective Scale, Religious Coping Scale, and the Health Index were used at T1 and T2.Results: The results showed significant increase in overall QoL (P = .00) and well-being (P = .03) at T2. However, ratings of their SOC (P = .03), spirituality (P = .01), and negative religious coping (P = .00) decreased. Multiple regression analyses revealed the rating of QoL at T1 as the strongest predictor in the rating of quality-of-life change at T2 followed by the degree of SOC, negative religious coping, and patients having more severe breast cancer (R-2 = 0.64).Conclusion: Despite improved QoL in the sample from diagnosis to 6 months, family caregivers struggle to cope with the situation.Implications for Practice: It is suggested to develop and investigate the effects of support programs targeting coping ability in Iranian family caregivers to women with breast cancer.
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15. |
- Kotronoulas, Grigorios, et al.
(author)
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Sleep patterns and sleep-impairing factors of persons providing informal care for people with cancer : a critical review of the literature
- 2013
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 36:1, s. E1-E15
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Sleep is increasingly recognized as an area of functioning that may be greatly affected in persons who are practically and emotionally involved in the care of patients with cancer. Clinician awareness is required to ensure that effective care for informal caregivers with sleep problems is provided. Objective: A 2-fold critical review of the published literature was conducted, which aimed at summarizing and critically analyzing evidence regarding sleep patterns of informal caregivers of adults with cancer and contributing factors to sleep-wake disturbances. Methods: Using a wide range of key terms and synonyms, 3 electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE) were systematically searched for the period between January 1990 and July 2011. Results: Based on prespecified selection criteria, 44 articles were pooled to provide evidence on sleep-impairing factors in the context of informal caregiving, 17 of which specifically addressed sleep patterns of caregivers of people with cancer. Conclusions: At least 4 of 10 caregivers may report at least 1 sleep problem. Short sleep duration, nocturnal awakenings, wakefulness after sleep onset, and daytime dysfunction seem to be the areas most affected irrespective of stage or type of disease, yet circadian activity remains understudied. In addition, despite a wide spectrum of potential sleep-impairing factors, underlying causal pathways are yet to be explored. Implications for Practice: More longitudinal, mixed-methods, and comparison studies are warranted to explore caregiver sleep disorders in relation to the gravity of the caregiving situation in the context of diverse types of cancer and disease severity.
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16. |
- Linderholm, Märit, et al.
(author)
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A desire to be seen: : family caregivers' experiences of their caring role in palliative home care
- 2010
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 33:1, s. 28-36
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Primary health care is the base of Swedish healthcare, and many terminally ill patients are cared for at home. A dying relative has a profound impact on his/her family members' situation, including negative effects on roles, well-being, and health. The aim of this study was to explore how the informal carers of a dying relative in palliative home care experienced their caring role and support during the patient's final illness and after death. Fourteen family members were selected in 4 primary health care areas in Sweden. Data were collected using open, tape-recorded interviews. A hermeneutic approach was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that being an informal carer was natural when a relative became seriously ill. More or less voluntarily, the family member took on a caring role of control and responsibility. The informal carers felt left out and had feelings of powerlessness when they did not manage to establish a relationship with the healthcare professionals. For the informal carers to feel seen, it was necessary for them to narrate about their own supporting role.
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17. |
- Lövgren, Malin, et al.
(author)
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Clock time and embodied time experienced by patients with inoperable lung cancer
- 2010
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In: Cancer Nursing. - Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 14, s. S45-S45
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, we explore how patients with inoperable lung cancer (LC) discuss their experiences of time, based on content analysis of open interviews with 35 patients 1 year after diagnosis, using Davies' distinction between "clock time" and "embodied time" as sensitizing concepts. Two interrelated themes were derived: (1) aspects related to the healthcare system, with 3 subthemes: waiting times in the healthcare system, limited time for patient-professional contact, and limited time for coordination of services, and (2) existential aspects, with subthemes: the future with LC and managing an uncertain and finite life with LC. Time could be experienced as problematic for these patients, when limited or lacking or through long periods of waiting, especially when these periods occurred without adequate preparation or information. This contributed to exacerbation of these patients' existing sense of uncertainty, their perception of care as impersonal and insecure, and their need to remain alert and act on their own behalf. Awareness of the seriousness of their disease and the prospect of a limited lifetime was described as increasing uncertainty about dying and fear of certain death. People also described efforts to constructively deal with their situation by reprioritizing their remaining time, having increased appreciation of some aspects of daily life, and living consciously in the present. This analysis suggests a collision between clock time, which steers the healthcare system, and embodied time, as experienced by individuals. Greater attention to psychosocial needs is suggested as one means of positively affecting patients' experiences of time and uncertainty.
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18. |
- McCann, Lisa, et al.
(author)
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"It's just going to a new hospital ... That's It." Or is it? : An experiential perspective on moving from pediatric to adult cancer services
- 2014
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In: Cancer Nursing. - Philadelphia, USA : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 37:5, s. E23-E31
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Survivors of childhood cancer will, at some stage, move from pediatric to adult care and/or to a different model of care to continue to receive long-term follow-up. Literature relating to transitional care for childhood onset conditions exists, but little research has been undertaken into transition in a cancer context, specifically from an experiences perspective.Objective: The aim of this study was to report how the process of transition should be considered within the context of young people's entire illness experience and how that experience can impact their transition readiness.Intervention/Methods: A qualitative, collective case study approach was adopted. Semistructured interviews were conducted with young people, parents, and healthcare professionals. Young people's oncology case notes were also reviewed. RESULTS:: Data analysis generated a multidimensional and multiple-perspective understanding of the experience of the process of transition. A central orienting theme was identified: the experience of readiness in the context of transition.Conclusion: Understanding the multifaceted components of readiness is crucial; readiness should embody people's illness experiences, the numerous and associated losses intertwined with a move from pediatric to adult care, and the simultaneous developmental changes occurring in people's lives.Implications for practice: The findings provide a meaningful framework to understand the experience of transition from the perspective of young people, parents, and healthcare professionals. These findings could help with the planning and preparation of individualized transitional care pathways for survivors of childhood cancer.
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19. |
- Sundberg, Kay K., et al.
(author)
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Sense of coherence and need for support among long-term survivors of childhood cancer
- 2012
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 35:4, s. E43-E49
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The concept of sense of coherence (SOC) may be applied to explain individuals' resources for dealing with the stressors confronted in daily life. Little is known about what impact cancer in childhood may have on the development of SOC.OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to compare SOC between long-term survivors of childhood cancer and a comparison group and to explore the need for current support among the survivors and the association between need for support and SOC.METHODS: Data were collected from 224 long-term survivors aged 18 to 37 years using the 13-item SOC scale and interviews. A matched comparison group (n = 283) randomly selected from the general population was included.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the mean SOC score between the survivors and the comparison group. Twenty percent of the survivors reported a need for support, a need significantly predicted by a low SOC, as well as surgery and/or radiation treatment often in combination with chemotherapy.CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survivors of childhood cancer seem to have resources to cope with stressful situations in life to the same degree as people in general. Survivors with fewer resources to cope and those having received a more intense treatment were more likely to be in need of support.IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The concept of SOC in nursing practice may be helpful to identify and discuss an individual's resources and impediments to health to better understand the need for support among survivors of childhood cancer.
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20. |
- Öhlén, Joakim, 1958, et al.
(author)
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Making Sense of Receiving Palliative Treatment: Its Significance to Palliative Cancer Care Communication and Information Provision.
- 2013
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In: Cancer nursing. - : Wolters Kluwer. - 1538-9804 .- 0162-220X. ; 36:4, s. 265-273
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:: By receiving palliative treatment over time, a growing number of people with advanced gastrointestinal cancer are living longer. An image of palliative care, often existing in the public, as being exclusively for the dying could thus be particularly challenging in relation to patients' making sense of receiving palliative treatment over time. OBJECTIVE:: The aim was to interpret how patients diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal cancer make sense of receiving palliative treatment. METHODS:: A phenomenological life-world approach was chosen. Seven men and 7 women with advanced gastrointestinal cancer receiving palliative treatment were followed up using repeated narrative interviews, which took place at a Swedish oncology clinic. In total, 66 interviews were conducted. The analysis followed hermeneutic principles and was interpreted stepwise. RESULTS:: Making sense was revealed as a phenomenon constructed narratively, through patients' searching for knowledge and understanding, approached by a dialectic pattern of living in wait and in the present, and finally, as a process of human learning through being and becoming, which transforms the experience and results in a changed personal experience. CONCLUSION:: Making sense of receiving palliative treatment is a process of human learning at the end of life, characterized by an ongoing search for knowledge and understanding. To enhance patients' sense making in this context, professionals need to go beyond "providing information." IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:: The attention of health professionals must be directed at recognizing and enhancing patients' ways of seeking knowledge to help them make sense of receiving palliative treatment. Person-centered activities need to be developed.
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21. |
- Ding, Yan, et al.
(author)
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Health-Related Quality of Life and Associated Factors in Chinese Women With Cervical Cancer: A 9-Month Follow-up.
- 2013
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In: Cancer Nursing. - 1538-9804. ; 36:4, s. 18-26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:: There is a lack of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) studies in Chinese women with cervical cancer. OBJECTIVE:: The objectives of this study were to investigate the HRQOL trajectory in women with cervical cancer in Mainland China in the 9 months following diagnosis and to identify factors that influence HRQOL. METHODS:: Initially, 187 patients with cervical cancer were included in the study, but at each follow-up, the number declined to 128, 112, and 106, respectively. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix (FACT-Cx) was used to collect data sequentially at the time of diagnosis (T1) and at 3 (T2), 6 (T3), and 9 months after diagnosis (T4). Medical characteristics, sense of coherence, and social support were included as factors likely to contribute to HRQOL. RESULTS:: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix ranged in mean from 120.30 at T1 to 126.22 at T4 (P = .001), whereas social/family well-being ranged from 23.56 at T1 to 20.23 at T4 (P = .025). In the stepwise regression with FACT-Cx as the independent variable, sense of coherence entered the equation with the highest standardized coefficients (0.554) at T1 and stage II at T2 and T3 (-0.53 and -0.26, respectively). Satisfaction with family relationships had the second highest standardized coefficient (-0.21) at T3. CONCLUSIONS:: Overall HRQOL improved, although social/family well-being deteriorated. Sense of coherence contributed to HRQOL initially, whereas disease stage and family support did so later on. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:: The study highlights the importance of identifying those with a low sense of coherence at the time of diagnosis. Family members should be included in caring process as a vital source of social support.
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