Embracing midcareer in the tenure system.

Midcareer faculty are the "keystone" of academia. Faculty in midcareer experience an increase or change in responsibilities and expectations as well as reduced support and mentorship usually extended to junior faculty. Nonetheless, midcareer can be an ideal time for re-evaluating and defining one's career path and taking advantage of leadership and service opportunities.

The Prevalence and Types of Complementary and Integrative Health Therapies Used by Caregivers of Patients with Cancer.

Objective: To assess rationale for usage and types of complementary and integrative health therapies used as self-care by unpaid cancer caregivers.

Data Sources: CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Alt HealthWatch.

Conclusion: Six articles provide updated information on caregiver preferences and desires relative to use of complementary and integrative health therapies.

Impact of Self-Acupressure on Co-Occurring Symptoms in Cancer Survivors.

Background: Cancer survivors with fatigue often experience depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain. Previously, we reported that self-acupressure improved fatigue; however, its impact on other co-occurring symptoms and their involvement in treatment action has not been explored.

Methods: Changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain were examined prior to and following two formulas of self-acupressure and usual care using linear mixed models in 288 women from a previously reported clinical trial.

Investigation of 2 Types of Self-administered Acupressure for Persistent Cancer-Related Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Fatigue is a common and debilitating late-term effect of breast cancer that is associated with poor sleep and decreased quality of life, yet therapies remain limited. Acupressure has reduced fatigue in previous small studies, but rigorous clinical trials are needed.

Objectives: To investigate if 6 weeks of 2 types of self-administered acupressure improved fatigue, sleep, and quality of life vs usual care in breast cancer survivors and to determine if changes were sustained during a 4-week washout period.

Saw Palmetto for Symptom Management During Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Context: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs) affect 75%-80% of men undergoing radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer.

Objectives: To determine the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and preliminary efficacy of Serenoa repens commonly known as saw palmetto (SP) for management of LUTS during RT for prostate cancer.

Methods: The dose finding phase used the time-to-event continual reassessment method to evaluate safety of three doses (320, 640, and 960 mg) of SP.

Dyadic recruitment in complementary therapy studies: experience from a clinical trial of caregiver-delivered reflexology.

Purpose: As home-based care continues to be a growing trend in health care, involvement of friend and family caregivers in the management of illness becomes essential. However, before nurses can prepare caregivers to engage in various types of care, an evidence base needs to be established via randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Research suggests that recruiting cancer patients and their friend or family caregivers into RCTs presents challenges.

Self-administered Acupressure for Persistent Cancer-related Fatigue: Fidelity Considerations.

Context: Complementary therapies are frequently used by breast cancer patients for symptom management; however, documentation of the components of intervention fidelity for studies is not widely available.

Objective: This report examines the components of intervention fidelity, as put forth by the Treatment Fidelity Workgroup of the Behavior Change Consortium at the National Institutes for Health (NIH-BCC Workgroup), within an ongoing acupressure study of breast cancer survivors with persistent cancer-related fatigue (PCRF).

Design: For the acupressure study, the research team designed a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) with 3 parallel groups: (1) stimulating acupressure (intervention group); (2) relaxing acupressure (intervention group); and (3) standard care (control group).

Acupressure for persistent cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors (AcuCrft): a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Despite high levels of clinically significant persistent cancer related fatigue in breast cancer survivors few treatments are currently available and most pose a significant burden on the part of the woman. Acupressure, a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been shown to decrease fatigue levels by as much as 70% in cancer survivors while being inexpensive, non-toxic and an easy to use intervention. The primary aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of two types of self-administered acupressure (relaxation acupressure and stimulating acupressure), compared to standard of care on fatigue severity.

Recruitment and early retention of women with advanced breast cancer in a complementary and alternative medicine trial.

More than 80% of women with breast cancer are now reported to be using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies during conventional treatment. A randomized clinical trial (RCT) of reflexology with late stage breast cancer patients serves as the data source for this article. The purposes were to investigate: (i) reasons for refusal to participate in a RCT of reflexology; (ii) the differences between those who completed the baseline interview and those who dropped out before baseline; and (iii) the utility of the Palliative Prognostic Score (PPS) as a prognostic screening tool in minimizing early attrition (before baseline) from the trial.

Efficacy of an in-home nursing intervention following short-stay breast cancer surgery.

This randomized controlled trial (n = 240) was designed to test the efficacy of a sub-acute home nursing intervention following short-stay surgery for breast cancer. Intervention participants received the in-home nursing protocol, whereas non-intervention participants received agency nursing care or no nursing care. Data, collected via questionnaire, telephone interview, and chart audit, included surgical recovery/self-care knowledge, functional status, anxiety, quality of life (QOL), and health service utilization.

Physicians and hospice care: attitudes, knowledge, and referrals.

Underutilization of hospice care continues to be a public health issue in the United States. Physician barriers related to incorrect knowledge and unfavorable attitudes have been hypothesized as part of the explanation. We conducted a mail survey of 264 area physicians, obtaining a response rate of 72% (n = 190).