• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.287-295
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to compare educational needs for discharge after thyroid cancer surgery between patients and nurses. Methods: The participants were 107 patients who had thyroid cancer surgery and 70 nurses who have had experience of taking care of patients with thyroid cancer surgery at P hospital in Busan. The researcher reviewed the literature and conducted a preliminary survey to develop a questionnaire. Results: Although there was no significant difference in total perceived nursing discharge educational needs after thyroid cancer surgery between patients and nurses, both had a high level of nursing educational needs for discharge. The degree of patients' needs was higher than nurses in areas of dietary management after discharge and the degree of nurses' needs was higher than patients in the other areas. Although the first ranking area of educational needs was medication management for both patients and nurses, dietary management after discharge was the second ranking for patients and operation site and complication management was those for nurses. Conclusions: As the patients had different educational needs from the nurses, nurses need to focus on the patient's educational needs and provide relevant information. Educational programs should be developed and applied to post-surgical thyroid cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.1225-1229
• /
• 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the meaning of "positive attitude" for medical surgical nurses in caring for cancer patients. Methods: A qualitative method was used in this qualitative descriptive study with data from nurses who had volunteered to participate in an in-depth interview that was conducted between January and February 2012. A total of 10 nurses in general medical and surgical wards of a district hospital were interviewed. Results: The study used three broad themes to describe this multifaceted construct: showing empathy, seeing positively and behaving positively. The nurses were aware of their attitudes towards being positive with cancer patients and its significance in support for cancer patients. Conclusions: The findings of this study can serve as a platform upon which educational and other support programmes can be developed in order to meet the needs of those general nurses working with cancer patients. Future studies are recommended to examine nurses' beliefs about cancer that are thought to affect positive attitudes toward cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.153-158
• /
• 2013

This paper reports on part of a large study to identify competencies of oncology nurses in Malaysia. It focuses on oncology nurses' communications-related competency. As an important cancer care team member, oncology nurses need to communicate effectively with cancer patients. Literature shows that poor communication can make patients feel anxious, uncertain and generally not satisfied with their nurses' care. This paper deliberates on the importance of effective communication by oncology nurses in the context of a public hospital. Four focus group discussions were used in this study with 17 oncology/cancer care nurses from Malaysian public hospitals. The main inclusion criterion was that the nurses had to have undergone a post-basic course in oncology, or have work experience as a cancer care nurse. The findings indicated that nurses do communicate with their patients, patients' families and doctors to provide information about the disease, cancer treatment, disease recurrence and side effects. Nurses should have good communication skills in order to build relationships as well as to provide quality services to their patients. The paper concludes by recommending how oncology nursing competencies can be improved.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.10
• /
• pp.4953-4958
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine how nurses recognize the need for supportive care of advanced cancer patients and to provide preliminary data on how adequate circumstances are to be set up and maintained in Korea. For the purpose of this study, we developed a preliminary questionnaire based on a focus group of 8 nurses run by a clinical psychologist and administered it to 228 nurses in a cancer hospital, over a 3-month period. Participants of this study were nurses with more than 5 years' experience of treating advanced cancer patients. The result showed that 207 respondents (90.8%) agreed that a smooth communication system for treatment taking into account the symptoms experienced by patients and rehabilitation issues was needed. More than 80% agreed that the items needed for an integrated management service for advanced cancer patients should include psychological support, an integrated pain and symptom management, and education for the patient and his or her caregivers. These results strongly suggest that a new system distinct from palliative care or hospices is needed for patients with advanced cancer in Korea.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.128-137
• /
• 2008

Purpose: To explore and describe the essence of oncology nurses' experiences of counseling with cancer patients. Methods: Qualitative research with a phenomenological study. Participants were 6 oncology nurses who had worked as a clinical nurse specialist or an education-counseling nurse. Data were collected through individual semi-constructed interviews and analyzed with a thematic approach according to Colaizzi's method. Results: Seven themes emerged from the data: harmony of education and counseling, burdening, useless self-blaming, getting more matured, experiencing rewards and meanings, internalized strategies for counseling, and needs for self growth. Conclusion: The study highlights the significant impact of counseling with cancer patients by oncology nurses. Oncology nurses experienced both positive and negative aspects of being involved in cancer care. They stated that they were personally growing and getting maturated with the counseling experience. Sometimes they felt sad when the patient's status was progressed. They learned and internalized counseling skill during the communication with cancer patients. They wanted to learn about the practical course of counseling and communication method and the psychology of cancer patients.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.99-109
• /
• 2022

Purpose: More than 60% of patients with advanced cancer experience pain, and uncontrolled pain reduces the quality of life. Nurses are the closest healthcare providers to the patient and are suitable for managing cancer pain using pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. This study aimed to identify factors affecting the performance of cancer pain management among nurses. Methods: This study was conducted among 155 participating nurses working at a tertiary hospital who had experience with cancer pain management. Data collection was performed between October 18, 2021 and October 25, 2021. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, the independent-sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression analysis. Results: There were 110 subjects (71.0%) who had no experience of cancer pain management education. The results of regression analysis indicated that barriers included medical staff, patients, and the hospital system for cancer pain management (𝛽=0.28, P<0.001). The performance of cancer pain management was also affected by experience of cancer pain management training (𝛽=0.22, P=0.007), and cancer pain management knowledge (𝛽=0.21, P=0.006). The explanatory power of the variable was 16.6%. Conclusion: It is crucial to assess system-related obstacles, as well as patients and medical staff, in order to improve nurses' cancer pain management performance. A systematic approach incorporating multidisciplinary interventions from interprofessional teams is required for effective pain management. Furthermore, pain management education is required both for cancer ward nurses and nurses in other wards.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.1135-1143
• /
• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the perceived importance and the perceived caring of nursing needs among oncology nurses, patients with non-terminal cancer and patients with terminal cancer. Method: A total of 83 oncology nurses, 56 patients with non-terminal cancer and 39 patients with terminal cancer served as subjects. Data was collected based on the 4-point Likert scale using a self-administered questionnaire from Mar. to Sept. 2004. Finally, data was analyzed using mean, SD, paired-test,. and ANOVA. Results: The score of the perceived importance of nursing needs was higher than that of the perceived performance of nursing needs in all three groups. There was also a difference in the degree of perceived performance of nursing needs among the three groups. In contrast, there was no difference in the total score of the perceived importance of nursing needs among the three groups, unlike the importance of informational and physical needs as a subgroup of perceived importance, where a difference was noted. Conclusions: Strategies should be developed to narrow down these gaps between nurses and patients. In particular, informational and educational programs should be designed for patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.68-75
• /
• 2006

Purpose: This study was carried out to obtain basic data for developing effective pain management by identifying the positive and negative determinants for pain management in both cancer patients and their nurses. Method: The participants were 85 cancer patients and 78 nurses at C university hospital in Seoul. Data were collected from December 2004 to March 2005 using structured questionnaires. Results: The level of pain peaked at 5.02 when going into the hospital, and was then lowered to 2.08. The waiting time for analgesics was less than 30 minutes in 81.1% of the patients and for 68.2% answered that they reported their pain when the pain was no more endurable. Just over eighty percent (80.6%) of the patients were satisfied with the pain management. Only 10.3% of the nurses used a standardized tool for assessing patients, pain and 64.1% gave analgesics whenever patients complained of pain, while 19.2% did not when patients complained too frequently. Nurses who were unsatisfied with pain management accounted for 85.4% of the participants. Patients showed higher levels of barriers to pain management than nurses. Conclusion: There is a need to give cancer patients and nurses appropriate information on effective cancer pain management.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.65-74
• /
• 2001

This study was to investigate the degree of the nurses' burden and the attitude on the terminal cancer patients, as well as the relationship between two variables using questionnaire. The non-randomized convenient samples were 252 nurses with the experiences in caring the terminal cancer patients more than 1year in 5 university hospitals in Seoul and Inchon city. The cross-sectional one time survey was conduced by using the modified questionnaires on the burden and the attitude on the terminal cancer patients at October, 2000. n SPSS for Window, the demographic information and the degree of the burden and the attitude of subjects were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Pearson correlation coefficiency was used to investigate the relationship between the degree of the burden and the attitude from subjects. The additional analysis were performed to examine the differences the degree of the burden and the attitude by the general characteristics of the nurses using t-test and ANOVA. The result was as follow: 1) The degree of the nurses' burden on the terminal cancer patients was the mean of 2.91 ranged from 2.08 to 3.96. 2) The degree of the nurses' attitude on the terminal cancer patients was the mean of 3.52 ranged from 1.83 to 4.68. 3) There was no significant relationship between the degree of the burden and the attitude on the terminal cancer patients(r=.08, p=.23). However, the burden and. the nursing environment among 4 aspects of the attitude showed a significantly positive relationship each other (r=.16, p=.01). 4) The degree of the nurses' burden was different by the nursing specialties (F=2.79, p=.03) and the professional perspectives on nursing(F=3.52, p=.02). 5) The degree of the nurses' attitude was different by the age(F=5.33, p=.01), the married status(t=3.93, p=.05), nursing specialties (F=7.42, p=.00), the amount clinical experience(F=2.85, p=.04), the job satisfaction (F=10.58, p=.00) and, the professional perspectives on nursing (F=6.30, p=.01).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7321-7326
• /
• 2014

Background: Sexual health and function frequently are overlooked by healthcare professionals despite being identified as an essential aspect of patient care. Patients with cancer have identified sexuality issues as being of equal importance to other quality-of-life issues. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the views and attitudes of oncology nurses caring for cancer patients regarding sexual counseling. Participants and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the web site of the Turkish Oncology Nurses Association. With the participation of 87 nurses from oncology departments, the study determined that most nurses do not evaluate and counsel patients regarding their sexual problems and many difficulties prevent them from focussing on sexual health. The most important reasons for ignoring sexual counseling were the absence of routine regarding sexual counseling in oncology departments, the belief that the patient may become ashamed and the nurses' self-evaluation that they have insufficient skills and education to counsel in this subject. Conclusions: The most important variables in sexual evaluation and counseling are long years of service in the profession and a postgraduate degree.