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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to identify the current status, issues, and training needs of nurses in terms of the appearance care for patients who undergo cancer therapy. Methods: Self-administered anonymous surveys were mailed to a total of 2,025 nurses. Potential respondents included five nurses who work at various departments in all the 400 Designated Regional Cancer Centers and Hospitals in Japan, or who accessed the Appearance Care Research Network website voluntarily and registered for study participation. Survey items included demographics and the 94 items concerning appearance care for changes associated with cancer therapy. The data analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis to identify correlates of the provision of appearance care. Textual responses were qualitatively and descriptively analyzed. Results: Seven hundred and twenty six (35.9%) usable responses were returned. The respondents had a mean age of 42.5 (a range of 24 through 62) years. As a result of the survey, 93 out of 94 care items were carried out by respondents. Correlates of healthcare professionals’ appearance care provision included “collecting information from various sources” and “having confidence in providing care.” Seventeen categories of issues related to appearance care were created, including various items such as “appearance care is not standardized, and recognition level is different between healthcare professionals.” Discussion: Based upon the identified issues and needs of this study, an effective training program will be developed for healthcare professionals who provide appearance care for patients undergoing cancer therapy.
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End-of-life discussion with patients with advanced cancer is one of the important factors to determine the patient quality of life and their families' grief. The primary aim of this study is to collect Japanese medical oncologists' views toward end-of-life discussion. A context analysis of free comments of the questionnaire survey was conducted. Questionnaires were mailed to 864 medical oncologists, and 490 responses were obtained. A content analysis identified 420 free comments. As barriers of end-of-life discussion for oncologists, three types of barriers were emerged: 1) issues relating to patient and family (e.g., [individuality of the patient and family], [difficulty of acceptance of illness progression]), 2) issues relating to medical professionals (e.g., [a lack of psychological support], [difference in beliefs about end-of-life discussion among medical professionals]), and 3) health care systems (e.g., [a lack of time and human resources], [a lack of education and research]). The findings of this study may be useful to improve mutual understanding of oncologists and palliative care physicians when performing the end-of-life discussion in collaboration.
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<b>Objectives:</b> To clarify the preferences for survival time (ST) or quality of life (QOL) in the treatments for advanced cancer. <b>Method:</b> Patients with breast cancer, oncologists, and healthcare-providers including nurses, pharmacists and medical clerks were asked to anonymously complete a survey: The survey included questions regarding 1) priority among treatment options for a fictitious cancer patient, 2) preference of treatment aggressiveness for fictitious cancer patients by age group, 3) preference of treatment among options, with different weight on ST and QOL. <b>Results:</b> 1) Cancer patients' priority regarding ST and QOL was clearer than healthcare providers. 2) Oncologists tended to prioritize ST than cancer patients and other medical staffs in elderly patients. 3) Patients and oncologists tended to prioritize ST, whereas and other medical staffs prioritized QOL. <b>Conclusion:</b> Cancer patients and healthcare providers may have different perception regarding a treatment goal, which should be recognized in the practice of oncology.