Publications by authors named "Constantina Papadopoulou"

Article Synopsis
  • * The project's first phase included a review of existing kidney cancer educational programs and a Delphi study with experts, leading to the identification of 17 key educational topics for inclusion in the training course.
  • * RCC4Nurses aims to provide updated, evidence-based training to nurses, addressing a significant gap in existing educational resources and enhancing nursing practice in aRCC care.
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Purpose Of Review: This review aimed to explore recent progress made in the past five years towards early access to, and integration of palliative care services within the haemato-oncology context to address the unique needs of patients with Haematological malignancies (HMs).

Recent Findings: We included 14 articles in our review. We identified three themes, namely (i) disparities in the timing of referrals remain, (ii) specialist palliative care and impact on quality of life and (iii) perceptions on early integration.

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  • This literature review investigated how head and neck cancer (HNC) impacts relationship intimacy for adults, as well as existing support systems for patients and their partners.
  • The review analyzed 30 studies, uncovering key themes including communication issues, sexual interest, and the effectiveness of intimacy-focused interventions, revealing both positive and negative experiences among patients.
  • The findings indicate a significant impact of HNC on intimacy, highlighting the necessity for better communication strategies and training for healthcare professionals to address these sensitive topics in clinical settings.
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Preventing and managing frailty is a new area for many community practitioners; yet, frailty specific-education remains limited. This collaborative project aimed to understand and enhance the knowledge, confidence and capability of community nurses to manage frailty in a community setting. A person-centred coaching and educational programme was co-developed with community nurse participants to strengthen their leadership role in managing frailty within interprofessional teams.

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Objectives: To provide an overview of three consecutive stages involved in the processing of quantitative research data (ie, data management, analysis, and interpretation) with the aid of practical examples to foster enhanced understanding.

Data Sources: Published scientific articles, research textbooks, and expert advice were used.

Conclusion: Typically, a considerable amount of numerical research data is collected that require analysis.

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Objectives: To present a comprehensive overview of key constructs of experimental and nonexperimental quantitative research, drawing on one example case from cancer care.

Data Sources: Published scientific articles, research textbooks, and expert advice were used in this article.

Conclusion: Quantitative research turns information collected about people or about processes into numerical data.

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Objectives: This article provides practical guidance on developing a comprehensible abstract, including those required for funding applications, conferences, and publication. In addition, we discuss and demonstrate the practicalities of editing and revising an abstract for conference or peer review and identify emerging formats that may be more relevant to nurses and researchers.

Data Sources: This article has been informed by literature and the coauthors' respective experiences of preparing and reviewing abstracts for publication and conference presentation.

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Objectives: To present an overview of the issues related to the well-being of people affected by cancer and dementia. To highlight the evidence from dementia care that can help improve the care experiences of people with dementia and cancer.

Data Sources: Electronic databases such as PubMed and CINAHL were used to retrieve relevant literature published between 2010 and 2020.

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Supported housing has been highlighted as a potential way to facilitate independent living for people with dementia by integrating housing with support or care services. However, the benefits and challenges of living with dementia in supported housing are not fully understood. This systematic review and thematic synthesis sought to understand how living in supported housing influences the lives of people with dementia, from the perspectives of people with dementia, their supporters, health and social care professionals.

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Early intervention on frailty can help prevent or delay functional decline and onset of dependency. Community nurses encounter patients with frailty routinely and have opportunities to influence frailty trajectories for individuals and their carers. This study aimed to understand nurses' perceptions of frailty in a community setting and their needs for education on its assessment and management.

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Objective: To present an overview of the issues related to the sexual well-being of people affected by prostate cancer and their partners, and propose ways to manage and address these by oncology nurses and the wider multi-disciplinary team.

Data Sources: Electronic databases such as PubMed and Cinahl were used to retrieve relevant literature published between 2010 and 2020.

Conclusion: Sexual well-being in patients with prostate cancer and their partners is multifaceted, comprising physical, emotional, social, and cultural aspects.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the critical role of oncology nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers recommendations for improving care for cancer patients.
  • It highlights the importance of nurses in creating and executing standards of care, emphasizing their pivotal position amid the challenges posed by the pandemic.
  • The conclusion points out that while the full impact of the pandemic on oncology care is still uncertain, essential clinical considerations have been identified to guide nursing practice moving forward.
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Background: Sexual health care should be an integral part of holistic, person-centred care for patients with cancer. Nurses can have a pivotal role, but nurse-led care in this context has been historically challenging.

Objectives: To update the state of scientific knowledge pertinent to nurses' competencies in delivering sexual health care to patients with cancer; better understand moderating factors; and evaluate interventions developed/tested to enhance nurses' competencies.

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Purpose: Developing new supportive/palliative care services for lung cancer should encompass effective ways to promptly identify and address patients' healthcare needs. We examined whether an in-clinic, nurse-led consultation model, which was driven by use of a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measure, was feasible and acceptable in the identification of unmet needs in patients with lung cancer.

Methods: A two-part, repeated-measures, mixed-methods study was conducted.

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Background: Nurses' caring behaviors are central in the quality of care of patients undergoing sophisticated chemotherapy protocols. However, there is a scarcity of research regarding these behaviors in non-Anglo-Saxon countries.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore caring behaviors that nurses perceive as important in caring for patients in Greece receiving chemotherapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to understand the health needs of colon and rectal cancer patients to enhance care services.
  • A systematic review of 54 studies identified 136 unique needs categorized into eight areas, with a significant focus on information, communication, and emotional support.
  • The findings highlight the need for a collaborative approach among healthcare professionals to address diverse patient needs and improve the overall quality of care.
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  • The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) by colorectal cancer nurse specialists (CNS) to better understand and address the needs of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
  • A two-phase approach was taken, first analyzing literature and conducting focus groups, followed by an exploratory study where data from PROMs was utilized to tailor supportive care during monthly consultations.
  • Results indicated that using PROMs helped identify and prioritize patients' needs, with a notable reduction in reported unmet needs, illustrating the potential effectiveness of this approach in enhancing patient support.
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Purpose: The purpose of the eSMART (Electronic Symptom Management using the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) Remote Technology) study is to evaluate the use of mobile phone technology to manage chemotherapy-related toxicities (CRTs) in people with breast cancer (BC), colorectal cancer (CRC), Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)) across multiple European sites. One key objective was to review the published and grey literature on assessment and management of CRTs among patients receiving primary chemotherapy for BC, CRC, HL, and NHL to ensure that ASyMS remained evidence-based and reflected current and local practice.

Methods: Three electronic databases were searched for English papers, with abstracts available from 01/01/2004-05/04/2014.

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Purpose/objectives: To explore changes over time in self-efficacy and the predictive ability of changes in state anxiety and health-related quality of life during chemotherapy.
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Design: Secondary analysis of a longitudinal dataset derived from a larger, multicenter study.

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Purpose: To examine the trajectories and predictors of state and trait anxiety in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast or colorectal cancer.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected as part of a large multi-site longitudinal study. Patients with breast or colorectal cancer completed validated scales assessing their state and trait anxiety levels (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and symptom burden (Rotterdam Symptom Checklist) at the beginning of each chemotherapy cycle.

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Purpose/objectives: To explore the processes through which patients construct their meanings of acute leukemia (AL).


Research Approach: An exploratory design was employed using serial, in-depth interviews, guided by Smith's Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach.


Setting: Two inpatient hematology clinics in the United Kingdom.

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Evidence-based practice is a cornerstone of modern health care. Ongoing challenges have been identified in the strength of the evidence base in community palliative care nursing (Walshe and Luker, 2010). This paper discusses the participation of community nurses in a palliative care research project.

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Aim: The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the feasibility of conducting an effectiveness trial of early access to palliative care services for people with lung cancer through use of an integrated outpatient model.

Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with lung cancer receiving palliative-intent treatment or best supportive care treatment were recruited over a 5-month period from one out-patient clinic in Scotland. Patients were offered a clinical review appointment with a palliative medicine consultant at two time points: baseline and 12 weeks later.

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Purpose: The aim of this review was to systematically identify and synthesise all qualitative evidence on how adult patients diagnosed with acute leukaemia experience living with their illness.

Methods: A systematic search strategy was developed comprising of two search strings: i) acute leukaemia and ii) qualitative methodology. The search strategy was run in seven electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, EMBASE, BNI & Archive, SSCI and ASSIA).

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