ABSTRACT
Objective To determine the effect of age,body figure and risk framing in making treatment decision for female patients with breast cancer.Methods Two groups of healthy female:one group of 60 female ages 18-24 from undergraduate student and the other group of 60 female ages 35-60 from the university community.Healthy women imagined that they had been diagnosed with breast cancer and received information regarding lumpectomy versus mastectomy and recurrence rates.Participants indicated whether they would choose lumpectomy or mastectomy and reasons.Results The different concern levels of body appearance between younger and older women influences treatment selection of lumpectomy versus mastectomy.Facing the risk information,older women were unlikely to select the breast conserving operation.Conclusions The factors of age and the attention to body figure would effect the choice of breast conserving operation or mastectomy.Risk information on the selection of treatment would not affected directly,but the effects of risk information on younger and older female is different.Nurses should provide the age-appropriate information who recently have been diagnosed with breast cancer regarding treatment alternatives to ensure their active participation in the decision-making process,female who have different levels of investment in body figure also may have different concerns about treatment,and should be alert on empathetic of such concerns.
ABSTRACT
Objective : To evaluate communication effects of the intervention by written risk information on prescribed drugs and explore the influencing factors.<BR>Design : A randomized prospective controlled trial.<BR>Setting : An outpatient unit in a medical center.<BR>Patients : 243 outpatients prescribed antihypertensive drugs.<BR>Intervention : Patients were randomized into either the study or control group. The study group received sheets showing risk information in addition to drug's name and efficacy while the control group received those without risk information. Patients were requested to complete a questionnaire before and 1 month after receiving information.<BR>Main outcome measures : The communication effects, defined in terms of patient satisfaction, helpfulness of the sheets, reassurance about taking drugs and compliance evaluated by himself.<BR>Results : Of 243 patients, 123 completed the second questionnaire. Of those 123, the study group patients were significantly more satisfied (p=0.035). For other 3 measures, there were no significant differences between the study and control groups. But almost all patients regarded the sheets helpful. After receiving the sheets with or without risk information, 67 (61.5%, 109 answered) were reassured and the compliance was said to be improved with 32 (28.1%, 114 answered).<BR>From the exploratory analysis of 112 patients having completed both questionnaires, patients who evaluated the sheets helpful tended to be more reassured. The compliance of patients who were reassured tended to be better.<BR>Conclusion : Patients regarded the written drug information as a helpful medium and were more satisfied with risk information. Irrespective of whether risk information was included, reassurance and better compliance were attained by the written drug information.