Cancer and the family: assessment, communication and brief interventions-the development of an educational programme for healthcare professionals when a parent has cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study developed and piloted an educational intervention to support healthcare professionals (HCPs) to provide supportive care for families when a parent has cancer. METHODS: Programme development followed the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework, beginning with examination of theory and research, and consultation with experts. The programme content incorporated attachment theory, child development and family systems theory. It was piloted thrice with HCPs from a cancer centre. The evaluation involved a questionnaire, comprising open-ended questions, completed before and after the programme. Data from the questionnaire were analysed using framework analysis. RESULTS: 31 HCPs from varying disciplines participated. The programme was evaluated positively by participants. Before the programme, participants had significant concerns about their professional competence, which included: managing their own emotions; a perceived sensitivity around raising child and family matters with patients and a lack of specialist experience, skills and knowledge. After completing the programme, participants reported greater understanding and knowledge, increased confidence to approach patients about family matters, greater skill to initiate conversations and explore family concerns and guiding parent-child communication according to the child's level of understanding, and an increased engagement and resilience for caring for parents with cancer. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS: Supporting HCPs to provide family-centred care is likely to reduce psychological difficulties in families where a parent has cancer. Further work is planned to disseminate the programme, evaluate the transfer of skills into practice, assess how HCPs manage the emotional demands of providing supportive care over time, and consider on-going professional support for HCPs.

Exploring the views of patients with cancer on what makes a good nurse--a pilot study.

This article presents and discusses findings from a qualitative pilot study that surveyed patients with cancer to discover their views on what makes a good nurse. Ten outpatients at a U.K. specialist cancer hospital, who had received inpatient treatment for cancer, were interviewed. The interview data was analysed thematically and four themes identified: good nurse virtues; knowledge; skill; and, organisational culture.

Using heat therapy for pain management.

Many patients with chronic pain use some form of heat application in the home environment and frequently wish to continue using these heat therapies if admitted to hospital. This article provides an overview of the use of heat therapy with patients in the hospital setting and identifies some of the safety issues involved.

NGO Responses to hurricane Mitch : Evaluations for accountability and learning

In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused the first regional disaster in Central American history. Winds, flooding and landslides killed 9.000 people, and seriously injured 13.000 more. The storm destroyed or badly damaged almost 80.000 homes, leaving 300.000 people homeless. Thpunsands of Central Americans required rescue and emergency medical care, and millions needed humanitarian relief aid. This Network Paper combines insights about NGO responses to Hurricane Mitch from three major sources: 1. Huit mois apres Mitch : Bilan des acions et premieres lecons, an evaluation of the French NGO response carried out by the Groupe Urgence - Rehabilitation Developpement (Groupe URD), 2. An evaluation of the British NGP response, commisioned by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and conducted by a team of consultants brought together by Espacios Consultores Asociados S.A. of Costa Rica, 3. A comparison study to the DEC evaluation, Scaling-up After Hurricane Mitch : A Lesson - Learning Study for the Disasters Emergency Committee, by Sarah Lister. This paper does not compare the performance of French and British NGOs, nor was this an aim of the respective evaluations, which were separately designed and implemented. If anythong, the impression conveyed by both evaluations is that French and British NGOs face the same challenges, and are grappling with many of the same issues. This paper also makes no comment on the comparative quality of these evaluations, or on the relative position of evaluations as a whole in the French and the British aid worlds. What this paper does offers is: a) a synthesis of key attention and learning points from the response to Hurricane Mitch. Most are, in general terms, trasnferable to other crisis responses. b) an example of inter agency NGO evaluations, and their potential value for organisational learning. c) an example of the sorts of questions that evaluations pose, and ideas for designing evalations. d) an analysis of the role of inter agency platforms in public appeals and fund management (AU)