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OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the knowledge of definition of cancer survivors among Japanese oncology nurses and their roles in long-term cancer survivorship care. METHODS: A structured self-administered and self-report questionnaire created by the study investigators was given to members of the Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing. The subjects were 81 female oncology nurses. RESULTS: Forty-nine nurses had 11 or more years of nursing experience, while 27 nurses had cancer-related nursing certifications such as, certification in oncology nursing specialist. This study population had rather rich experience in oncology nursing. Sixty-two nurses defined a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis, while the nurses' recognition of long-term survivorship care was poor, compared with nursing care at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, and end of life. CONCLUSIONS: The nurses were aware of the needs to recognize and address issues faced by long-term cancer survivors and for nursing study, but very few put the effective patient education and interventions into practice. It is because oncology nurses have few chances to see cancer survivors who go out of the hands of healthcare professionals. In increasing the number of long-term survivors, long-term survivorship care is needed in addition to incorporating such education into undergraduate and graduate programs. Further study on the knowledge of long-term cancer survivorship care and nursing practices are required.
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PURPOSE: This study assessed the subjective well-being of elderly residents of special nursing homes, and examined related factors, particularly from the perspective of lifestyle. METHODS: An interview survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted on 124 elderly individuals (age, > or =65 years) living in one of 8 special nursing homes in 2 prefectures in the Hokuriku region for at least 3 months. All were graded as level II or less on the Dementia Elderly Daily Living Independence Rank from late August to early November 2002. A total of 115 subjects (men, n=26; women, n=89; mean age, 83.16 +/- 7.13 years) were included in the analysis. Regarding survey items, the residents' subjective well-being was measured using the revised PGC Morale Scale, and related factors were categorized into "basic attributes", "activities of daily living", "health", "personal relationships within the facility", and "freedom in lifestyle". RESULTS: The mean PGC Morale Scale score was 10.06 +/- 3.95 points. As a result of multiple regression analysis, factors related to the subjective well-being of elderly residents of special nursing homes were found to be: "sense of freedom of choice in lifestyle", "feeling of seeing the staff smile", "no worrisome disease", "lack of physical pain", and "absence of renal disease and urinary organ disease". CONCLUSION: Security, human relations being good, an acceptable physical state of health, a degree of freedom in everyday life were found to underly a subjective feeling of happiness in persons living in welfare institutions. It is therefore important that these be taken into account in free choice of a care service, with emphasis on providing a desirable residence environment with good human relations inwelfare institutions.