[Therapeutic education coordination function and skills].

Introduction: Therapeutic Patient Education (TPE) coordination function has been developed worldwide for several decades. In France, this function is an integral part of authorization of TPE programs. However, both in France and in other European countries, situations, activities and qualifications common to TPE coordinators are becoming progressively more structured, regardless of the disease and/or the type of practice concerned.

The impact of the hospital work environment on social support from physicians in breast cancer care.

Objective: Research on determinants of a good patient-physician interaction mainly disregards systemic factors, such as the work environment in healthcare. This study aims to identify stressors and resources within the work environment of hospital physicians that enable or hinder the physicians' provision of social support to patients.

Methods: Four data sources on 35 German breast cancer center hospitals were matched: structured hospital quality reports and surveys of 348 physicians, 108 persons in hospital leadership, and 1844 patients.

Do breast cancer patients receive less support from physicians in German hospitals with high physician workload? A multilevel analysis.

Objective: Little is known about how organizational factors influence the patient-physician interaction. This study investigates the relationship between physician workload in hospitals and breast cancer patients' perceptions of the support provided by physicians.

Methods: Data from 1844 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients treated in 35 breast cancer center hospitals in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2010 were combined with data from 348 physicians from the same hospitals.

Visualization procedures for proteins and peptides on flat-bed monoliths and their effects on matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection.

The present study concerns the application of visualization methods, i.e. coomassie-brilliant-blue-R staining (CBB-R), silver-nitrate staining, and fluorescamine labeling, and subsequent MALDI-MS analysis of intact proteins and peptides on the surface of flat-bed monoliths, intended for spatial two-dimensional chromatographic separations.

What patients want.

Objective: Although most health care professionals im- or explicitly will assume that they tend to use patient-centered communication strategies, there are reasons to believe that this might not always be a valid assumption. In everyday practice, professionals' own value system is often the dominant steering guide. This Special Issue aims to bring together ongoing research and reflections about the quality of health care communication from the patients' own perspective.

The role of health care communication in the development of complementary and integrative medicine.

In recent years, complementary medicine (CM) approaches are integrated within a growing number of health care services worldwide. Implementation of CM within primary, secondary and tertiary settings of health care requires attention to a variety of communication challenges. In this special issue of Patient Education and Counseling 23 articles are presented about the patient-provider communication on complementary approaches, and the implementation and integration of CM in health care.

The implementation and evaluation of therapeutic touch in burn patients: an instructive experience of conducting a scientific study within a non-academic nursing setting.

Objective: Evaluation of therapeutic touch (TT) in the nursing of burn patients; post hoc evaluation of the research process in a non-academic nursing setting.

Methods: 38 burn patients received either TT or nursing presence. On admission, days 2, 5 and 10 of hospitalization, data were collected on anxiety for pain, salivary cortisol, and pain medication.

The contribution of intimate live music performances to the quality of life for persons with dementia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of intimate live music performances delivered by professional singers on the quality of life of persons with mild and severe dementia in nursing homes.

Methods: A sample of 54 persons with varying degrees of dementia participated in the study. Complete data sets are available for 45 persons.

Measuring spirituality as a universal human experience: development of the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL).

Many cancer patients experience spirituality as highly supportive while coping with their disease. Most research as well as most questionnaires in this field is religious orientated. The Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List was developed to enable research on spirituality among religious and nonreligious people.

Stress management training for breast cancer surgery patients.

Objective: This study evaluated the psychological effects of a pre-surgical stress management training (SMT) in cancer patients.

Methods: Stress management training comprised four sessions in total: on 5 days and 1 day pre-surgery and on 2 days and 1 month post-surgery. Patients also received audio CDs with relaxation and coping skills exercises.

A longitudinal study of changes in provider-patient interaction in treatment of localized prostate cancer.

Purpose: Whilst much is known as to the met and unmet communication needs of prostate cancer patients, few studies have been conducted on the changes in communication between provider and patient over time. Therefore, the aim of our study is to examine (a) whether there are changes over time in the quality of psychosocial care in long-term treatment of localized prostate cancer and (b) whether those changes are associated with the treatment decision.

Methods: HAROW is a prospective, observational study designed to collect clinical data and patient reported outcomes (PROs) of different treatment options (hormonal therapy, active surveillance, radiation, operation, watchful waiting) for newly diagnosed patients with localized prostate cancer under real conditions.

Methodological reflections on body-mind intervention studies with cancer patients.

Objective: Methodological reflection on the content, results and limitations of three body-mind intervention studies with cancer patients (CPs) in order to improve the quality of studies on body-mind interventions and to raise the potential value for CPs.

Methods: A secondary analysis of a study on haptotherapy and two studies applying relaxing face massage, using a variety of well-being effect measures. Six methodological themes are discussed: (1) drop-out; (2) characteristics of participating patients, (3) participation of patients in other complementary interventions; (4) satisfaction of participants; (5) effects of the three interventions, and (6) role of response shift.