• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was to identify the relationship between depression and spiritual health in patients suffering from female cancer. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive study design. Data was collected by questionnaires from 106 female patients who were diagnosed with cancer of female organs at three university hospitals and one general hospital. The instruments used in this study included, "the Depression Scale" developed by Zung(1965) and "Spirituality Health Inventory" developed by Highfield(1992) and amended by Kim. The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficients. Results: There was significantly negative correlation between spiritual health and depression in female cancer patients (r= -.65, p< .0001). There were significant differences in spiritual health according to the monthly income (F=4.30, p= .016), the degree of pain (F=2.85, p= .041), the degree of fatigue (F=3.42, p= .020), the frequency of attendance at worship services (F=3.26, p= .014), the effect of religion on personal life (F=9.41, p= .000). There were significant differences in depression, according to the residence type (F= .75, p= .012), the cancer insurance (t=7.86, p= .006), the degree of pain (F=2.78, p= .045). Conclusions: There is a necessity to develop strategies to improve the spiritual health and to reduce depression in female cancer patients. The significant several characteristics related to depression and spiritual health should be considered in psychsocial nursing intervention of female cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3129-3133
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• 2012

Diagnosis and treatment procedures in cancers and resulting anxiety negatively affect the individual and the family. Particularly treatment methods may generate psychological symptoms. The aim of this study was to determine the level of such symptoms in Turkish gynecologic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. A total of 41 patients who were referred to our gynecologic oncology research clinic between January-March 2012, receiving 3 months or more chemotherapy and who agreed to participate were enrolled in study. All the data were collected using a personal information form, Edmonton Symptom Assesment System and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Patients received highest point average from fatigue symptom ($6.53{\pm}2.67$) and lowest point average from dyspnea ($1.53{\pm}3.03$) according to Edmonton Symptom Assesment System. The mean State Anxiety score of patients was $43.1{\pm}9.77$ and mean Trait Anxiety score was $46.7{\pm}7.01$. Comparing symptoms of patients and mean State Anxiety score it was found that there was a statistically significant corelation with symptoms like pain (p<0.05), sadness (p<0.001), insomnia (p<0.05), state of well being (p<0.001) and dyspnea (p<0.05). Similarly comparing symptoms of patients and mean Trait Anxiety score demonstrated significant correlations for fatigue (p<0.05), sadness (p<0.01), insomnia (p<0.01) and state of well-being (p<0.01). As a result, patients with gynecological cancers experienced symptoms related to chemotherapy and a moderate level of anxiety. In accordance, appropriate interventions should recommended for the evaluation and improvement of anxiety and symptoms related to treatment in cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1621-1625
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• 2015

Background: Financial distress due to the cost of cancer treatments is prevalent among cancer patients. Identifying the level of financial distress and its affecting factors has an important role in providing supportive services. Accordingly, the aims of this study were to determine these parameters among Iranian cancer patients. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was undertaken among 262 cancer patients admitted to both private and public hospitals in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The financial distress/financial well being scale was used to determine financial distress. The data were analyzed using SPSS software using descriptive and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression). Results: Among the 262 cancer patients, 57.3% were male and their mean age was 47.0 years. The mean score for financial distress was 4.12 (2.01). The final regression model demonstrated that the independent variables (predictors) of income less than living expenses, income equal to living expenses, having an employed spouse in governmental job and living with parents, with regression coefficients of -1.029, -0.515, 0.198, and 0.096, respectively, were predictors of financial distress among cancer patients. These variables accounted for 50% of changes in variance of financial distress. Conclusions: Iranian cancer patients have moderate to high levels of financial distress. Considering policies for managing direct and indirect costs of cancer treatments must be followed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.969-973
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• 2014

Background: The number of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in Taiwan has increased in recent years; therefore, the effective dissemination of information related to symptom care has become especially important. Previous studies indicated that the physical and psychological status of cancer patients can be effectively improved by telephone counseling services (TCS). Thus, determining the most effective means of establishing a TCS to support the clinical practice of oncology has become a crucial goal for nursing. The purposes of this study were to analysis the content of the TCS for CRC and explore stratification of the TCS. Materials and Methods: The study design was retrospective. A total of 850 calls were made to CRC patients in the cancer center of Southern Taiwan during the period of January 2007- December 2011. A structure questionnaire was adopted to analysis satisfaction. Results: Responses provided by the TCS included information regarding nutrition, side effects resulting from chemotherapy and pain. Moreover, 28.7% of CRC patients needed advanced treatment. More than 90% satisfaction with all aspects of the calls was found. Conclusions: The TCS coulkd be shown to provide an effective means by which to expand the reach of nursing care to different times, places and patients, allowing for greater cost efficiency and more rapid service.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.179-185
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• 2011

Purpose: This study analyzed recent trends of instrument usage assessing cognitive function of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The researcher collected 64 studies outside the country that were published between January 1996 and August 2010. Results: There was no study on the instrument assessing all domains of cognitive function in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Most instruments assessing cognitive function of breast cancer patients have been used for patients with dementia, depression, and/or organic brain damage. Also the objective neuropsychological tests such as the grooved pegboard for the psychomotor area, RCFT copy in visuospatial skill area and the WAIS-III block design have low sensitivity for measuring cognitive function in breast cancer patients, thus they are not good for applying to breast cancer patients. Conclusion: There is a need to develop an instrument which has good sensitivity and specificity for measuring the cognitive function of the breast cancer patients who experienced cognitive impairment after chemotherapy treatment. In addition, the developed instrument needs to be accessible and feasible in any nursing clinical setting for the purpose of accurate assessment and evaluation of the cognitive function among breast cancer patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.917-928
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• 2002

The traditional nursing roles have become increasingly blurred. Nurses are now working in different ways and at higher levels of practice that enable nurses to adapt their roles and take on new responsibilities. The advanced role of nurses requires a different kind of master-level prepared education. Method & Result: This article describes an curriculum development process in preparing registered nurses for their advanced nurese' roles in the area of acute adult health nursing, geriatric nursing, pediatric nursing, neonatal intensive care nursing and oncology nursing. Several important issues to be solved regarding introduction of APN were also discussed. Conclusion: The curriculum that was proposed in the study will equip nurses to meet the challenges of future healthcare provision and will be a model to other areas of nursing practice and curriculum development.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 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 Oncology Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.110-123
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to develop a clinical pathway for the allogeneic bone marrow transplantation donor. For this study, a conceptual framework was developed through a review of the literature including six steps which are using in Jones Hopkins Hospital. USA. The researcher reviewed 129 medical re-cords of donor who had bone marrow donation between January 2002 to January 2004, to identify the overall service contents required by these patients and to make a preliminary clinical pathway. A content validity test was done for the preliminary clinical pathway, a professional group screened 51 medical re-cords and adopted with 3 hospitalization days as the clinical pathway framework. In the fifth step, clinical pathway test was also done to 7 donors from April 28th to July, 2004. After these processes the final clinical pathway was developed. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The vertical axis of the clinical pathway Includes the following 9 items: vital signs, nursing assessment, activity, diet, intervention, medication, test, consultation and patient teaching. The duration of the horizontal axis was 3days from admission to discharge 2. Analysis of the 129 medical records indicated that the average length of stay was 3 4 days. The medical performance according to the vertical axis in the preliminary clinical pathway consisted of 51 items After clinical validity test, it steel consisted of 51 items in the final form. 3. Clinical Validity test was done to 7 bone marrow donors. During these process, The first patient was deleted because he was out of the criteria the investigate set and 6 patients were used, finally The result of this study indicated all of 7 donors were discharged on expected day. 4. Clinical pathway enables to improve the quality of care, multidisciplinary team work It also helps nursing bone marrow donor, effective education to donor or medical member. The results of this study suggest that clinical pathway may be able to improve the quality of nursing care for bone marrow transplantation donors.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.104-113
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate pain management knowledge and attitude in cancer patients and their family caregivers. Methods: The subjects were 52 hospitalized cancer patients and 52 their family caregivers in a hematooncologic unit in one general hospital. Data were collected via self-reported questionnaires and interviews in 2008. Results: 46.2% of the patient participants reported pain and 50% of them were taking opioid analgesics. Levels of knowledge about cancer pain and its management in both patient and caregiver participants were low, whereas, the scores of knowledge of the caregivers were significantly higher than that of the patients. The attitudes toward cancer pain were not significantly different between patients and caregivers. Both cancer patients and caregivers had some misconcepts in using opioid analgesics and about cancer pain. Patients' and caregivers' level of knowledge about cancer pain and its mangement demonstrated positive correlation. Conclusion: Education about cancer pain and its management should target both cancer patients and their family caregivers. Also the education should focus on intervening the misconceptions that patients and their caregivers have regarding cancer pain and its management.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.210-220
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• 2011

Purpose: The aims of this study were to describe and interpret the nature of the experience inherent in the sex life of female breast cancer patients after treatment and understand the meaning behind it. Methods: The participants were 10 female breast cancer patients who were married. Data were collected from March to September 2010. Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology was adopted in this qualitative study as a research method. Results: There were 4 essential topics in the participants' experience of sex life; 'Sex life alert' was a result of negative changes in sexual relationships with spouse that they had never experienced before the breast cancer diagnosis; 'Precarious situation for pending divorce' was an experience of deteriorated sex life because of the failure to overcome 'sex life alert'; 'Sublimation of the difficulties by discovering an alternative solution' was an experience of discovering a solution to overcome the 'sex life alert'. 'Leaving it as unsettled' was an experience of a condition in which the participants did not have any intension to resolve the difficulties in sex life due to the lack of appropriate support, thus tried to ignore the challenges faced. Conclusion: This study illustrates the necessity to develop proper nursing intervention on the issues related to sex life among breast cancer patients. Given the fact that the sexual topics are often considered taboo in day to day nursing practice, special attention and efforts need to be given in this area to build up nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice.