The Fatigue Pictogram: assessing the psychometrics of a new screening tool.

Fatigue is one of the most distressing side effects of cancer for patients, yet clinicians often do not focus on it during busy clinic appointments. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new instrument designed to quickly identify patients experiencing difficulties with fatigue. The evaluation was conducted with a mixed group of 220 patients receiving chemotherapy.

The fatigue pictogram: psychometric evaluation of a new clinical tool.

Fatigue is one of the most prevalent side effects of cancer, yet clinicians may not focus on it during busy clinic appointments. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new two-item instrument designed to quickly identify patients experiencing difficulties with fatigue. The evaluation was conducted with 190 lung cancer patients attending ambulatory clinics.

The impact of psychosocial need and needs resolution on quality of life in patients with brain tumors.

The diagnosis of cancer of the central nervous system (CNS) is often the diagnosis of an incurable, progressive disease with devastating effects on the physical, psychosocial, and cognitive functioning of patients. Because many of the treatment options are noncurative in nature, issues related to quality and quantity of life become paramount. The purpose of the authors' research was to explore the prevalence of psychosocial needs in this cancer population and to determine whether these needs and their resolution impact on quality of life (QOL).

Older immigrant Tamil women and their doctors: attitudes toward breast cancer screening.

Cultural beliefs have been hypothesized to be powerful barriers to breast cancer screening in minority women and physician recommendation is consistently reported to be the strongest incentive. This study investigated (1) beliefs regarding breast cancer and (2) the perception of barriers to mammography and clinical breast examination in a sample of immigrant Tamil women, as well as in a sample of primary care physicians. Three focus groups, each consisting of 10 immigrant Tamil women from Sri Lanka aged 50 years or over were conducted and 52 primary care physicians who serve this population completed mailed surveys.

Influences on breast cancer screening behaviors in Tamil immigrant women 50 years old and over.

Objective: To investigate, using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework, the incentives and barriers to breast cancer screening in a recent immigrant group, older Tamil women from Sri Lanka.

Method: Tamil women who had had a mammogram and Tamil women who had never had a mammogram were compared on the following variables: socio-demographics, personal risk estimates for breast cancer, risk-reduction expectancies, beliefs and knowledge about breast cancer and screening recommendations, and acculturation.

Results: Groups differed significantly in terms of education, years living in North America, acculturation, and beliefs/knowledge about breast cancer.

Long-term breast cancer survivors: confidentiality, disclosure, effects on work and insurance.

Unlabelled: As more women are diagnosed with breast cancer, more will survive the illness from a few years to a lifetime. This study sought to determine the experience of Canadian breast cancer survivors with respect to the impact of cancer on confidentiality, work and insurance.

Method: Women who had survived breast cancer without recurrence for at least 2 years completed a mail survey about the effect of their illness on confidentiality, disclosure, work and insurance.

Attributions of cause and recurrence in long-term breast cancer survivors.

Unlabelled: Women are bombarded with information about the purported causes and the prevention of breast cancer. This survey sought to determine to what women survivors of breast cancer attributed the cause and lack of recurrence of their breast cancer, and whether these views were associated with specific health behaviors.

Methods: Women who had survived breast cancer without recurrence for at least 2 years were surveyed by mail about their views on the cause and lack of recurrence of their breast cancer.

Men with prostate cancer: influence of psychological factors on informational needs and decision making.

Objectives: Studies indicate that men with prostate cancer (MPC) adopt passive roles in cancer management; however, increasing public awareness of prostate cancer and advocacy by MPC and their allies suggest otherwise. This study looks at the information that is important to MPC; their preferred participation in decision making; and the influence of sociodemographic, disease, and psychological factors on information needs and decision preferences.

Method: Consecutive men diagnosed with prostate cancer and attending two tertiary care cancer clinics completed questionnaires on information needs and decision preferences.

Cognitive function in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose: Breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy have complained of difficulties in their ability to remember, think, and concentrate. This study assessed whether there are differences in cognitive function between breast cancer patients treated with standard-dose adjuvant chemotherapy compared with healthy controls.

Patients And Methods: The High Sensitivity Cognitive Screen and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) were used to assess cognitive function and mood in a group of 107 women.

Information needs and decisional preferences among women with ovarian cancer.

Objectives: Studies show that women with cancer want more information about and participation in all aspects of their healthcare including decision-making. However, most studies have been done on women with breast cancer, which often runs a lengthy course and has strong patient-advocacy groups. Little is known about the preferences of women with ovarian cancer, the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women, which often has a more rapidly fatal course.

Development and testing of a visit-specific patient satisfaction questionnaire: the Princess Margaret Hospital Satisfaction With Doctor Questionnaire.

Purpose: To develop a psychometrically sound patient-satisfaction-with-physician questionnaire that can be used in an outpatient oncology setting.

Patients And Methods: The questionnaire was developed by a four-step process involving a total of 277 cancer patients. The item-generation process utilized input from 95 oncology outpatients, three medical researchers, and the relevant literature.

When mom's sick: changes in a mother's role and in the family after her diagnosis of cancer.

As social entities, individuals enact roles and carry out responsibilities. Roles are learned and influenced by many social forces. They give meaning and value to life and foster a sense of belonging and contribution.

Planning psychosocial care for cancer patients: if at first you don't succeed, shift your paradigm.

Concerned with our capacity to bridge the gap between patients' and families' psychosocial needs and the services provided, we developed a psychosocial intake and referral service. This paper will describe the lessons learned in trying to introduce an innovation whose time had not yet come and, after analyzing the outcome, to present a new approach to planning. The service was not approved and, on reflection, eight factors were identified as contributing to the failure of the service to reach fruition.

Identifying the psychosocial needs of individuals with cancer.

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer creates psychosocial needs that patients often find difficult to resolve. Because most need assessments do not reach beyond enumerating needs to examine barriers to needs resolution, existing social supports or patients' service preferences, we set out to develop a needs assessment inventory to meet these objectives. The first step was to identify need categories using a qualitative methodology.

Identifying the nonmedical concerns of patients with ocular melanoma.

1. The task of enhancing patients' quality of life begins with identifying their needs and concerns. This process requires a knowledge base of the needs, problems, and barriers patients face as they struggle with the physical, psychological, and social sequelae of cancer.

A psychosocial summary flow sheet: facilitating the coordination of care, enhancing the quality of care.

To improve the continuity of care and to better coordinate psychosocial care, the Psychosocial Oncology Program at the Ontario Cancer Institute/Princess Margaret Hospital developed a psychosocial summary flow sheet. The objectives of the pilot project evaluation were: (a) to examine preparation to use the flow sheet prior to its implementation, (b) to gather information on how staff used the flow sheet, and (c) to determine how its design and implementation could be improved. The charts of all the patients on the units participating in the pilot project were examined and a questionnaire was sent to all staff involved with patient care on these units.

The eating patterns and problems of homeless women.

While inadequate nutrition has been identified as a factor affecting the health of the homeless, there has been little research to identify the extent to which inadequate nutrition is a problem. The goal of this paper is to document the eating patterns and problems of single homeless women and to locate the determinants of nutritional adequacy in their diets. Our findings are based on a random sample of 84 single homeless women using hostels and drop-in centers.

Mapping practice: problem solving in clinical social work.

This working guide to solving problems uses diagrams to illustrate a five-phase process that social workers can employ to structure and monitor their practice. It specifies the stages and tasks of the process yet allows for flexibility in choosing interventions.