Prevention of Infection: A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Practice Interventions for Management in Patients With Cancer.

Background: Cancer-related infections lead to increases in mortality, antibiotic use, and hospital stays. Other adverse outcomes include dose delays and reductions, which can result in suboptimal treatment outcomes.

Objectives: Effective implementation of risk assessment and evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of infection are essential to improve care and reduce costs related to infections in patients with cancer receiving immunosuppressive therapy.

Screen Violence and Youth Behavior.

Violence in screen entertainment media (ie, television, film, video games, and the Internet), defined as depictions of characters (or players) trying to physically harm other characters (or players), is ubiquitous. The Workgroup on Media Violence and Violent Video Games reviewed numerous meta-analyses and other relevant research from the past 60 years, with an emphasis on violent video game research. Consistent with every major science organization review, the Workgroup found compelling evidence of short-term harmful effects, as well as evidence of long-term harmful effects.

Media and children's aggression, fear, and altruism.

Noting that the social and emotional experiences of American children today often heavily involve electronic media, Barbara Wilson takes a close look at how exposure to screen media affects children's well-being and development. She concludes that media influence on children depends more on the type of content that children find attractive than on the sheer amount of time they spend in front of the screen. Wilson begins by reviewing evidence on the link between media and children's emotions.

Nurses' guide to understanding and implementing the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for myeloid growth factors.

Purpose/objectives: To review and determine the applicability of the 2006 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) clinical practice guidelines for the use of myeloid growth factors in adult patients treated with chemotherapy for solid tumors and nonmyeloid malignancies.

Data Sources: Published guidelines, original research, review articles, and conference presentations.

Data Synthesis: Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a common adverse effect of myelosuppressive chemotherapy that may lead to life-threatening infections, prolonged hospitalization, increased IV antibiotic use, and dose reductions or delays that affect patients' quality of life and clinical outcomes.

Designing media messages about health and nutrition: what strategies are most effective?

This report focuses on how to design media messages about nutrition that will persuade people to adopt healthful behaviors. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is used as a theoretical framework to explore different information-processing modes that individuals employ in a variety of communication situations. Studies from the fields of communication and psychology are briefly reviewed, with a focus on the source and message strategies that are most likely to persuade different types of audiences to change their nutritional attitudes and behaviors.

Dietary recommendations for neutropenic patients.

Objectives: To describe the development of an evidence-based practice project that will evaluate less restrictive dietary practices and focus on hand washing in adult patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

Data Sources: Guidelines, protocols, and published articles.

Conclusions: There is a lack of scientific basis for food restrictions, a wide variation in policies related to low-microbial diets, and inconsistent compliance with restricted diets.