The association between the mental health disorders, substance abuse, and tobacco use with head & neck cancer stage at diagnosis.

Purpose: Mental health disorders, substance abuse, and tobacco use are prevalent in the US population. However, the association between these conditions and head and neck cancer (HNC) stage is poorly understood. This research aims to uncover the relationship between pre-existing mental health disorders, substance abuse, and tobacco use and HNC stage at diagnosis in patients receiving care in an integrated, public safety-net healthcare system.

A Preliminary Validation of an Optimal Cutpoint in Total Number of Patient-Reported Symptoms in Head and Neck Cancer for Effective Alignment of Clinical Resources with Patients' Symptom Burden.

Background: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) often experience high symptom burden leading to lower quality of life (QoL).

Objective: This study aims to conceptually model optimal cutpoint by examining where total number of patient-reported symptoms exceeds patients' coping capacity, leading to a decline in QoL in patients with HNC.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of 105 individuals with HNC enrolled in a clinical usefulness study of the NYU Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA)©, a digital patient-reported symptom measure.

Prevalence and correlates of fear of recurrence among oral and oropharyngeal cancer survivors.

Purpose: Fear of recurrence (FoR) is a prevalent and difficult experience among cancer patients. Most research has focused on FoR among breast cancer patients, with less attention paid to characterizing levels and correlates of FoR among oral and oropharyngeal cancer survivors. The purpose was to characterize FoR with a measure assessing both global fears and the nature of specific worries as well as evaluate the role of sociodemographic and clinical factors, survivorship care transition practices, lifestyle factors, and depressive symptoms in FoR.

Enhancing Self-care Among Oral Cancer Survivors: Protocol for the Empowered Survivor Trial.

Background: Survivors of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer frequently experience difficulties in swallowing; tasting; speaking; chewing; and maintaining comfortable movements of the head, neck, and shoulder. Engagement in regular self-care can reduce further loss of function and mitigate late effects. Despite the substantial self-care requirements, there are no empirically based interventions to enhance the skills and confidence of these survivors in managing their ongoing care.

Data Quality of Automated Comorbidity Lists in Patients With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.

EHRs provide an opportunity to conduct research on underrepresented oncology populations with mental health and substance use disorders. However, a lack of data quality may introduce unintended bias into EHR data. The objective of this article is describe our analysis of data quality within automated comorbidity lists commonly found in EHRs.

The usefulness of the Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) as a clinical support tool for real-time interventions in head and neck cancer.

Background: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) experience painful, debilitating symptoms and functional limitations that can interrupt cancer treatment, and decrease their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) for head and neck is a web-based mHealth patient-reported measure that asks questions about 21 categories of symptoms and functional limitations common to HNC. This article presents the development and usefulness of the ePVA as a clinical support tool for real-time interventions for patient-reported symptoms and functional limitations in HNC.

A Scoping Review of Nursing's Contribution to the Management of Patients with Pain and Opioid Misuse.

Background: Nursing brings a unique lens to care of patients with pain and opioid misuse.

Aims: This scoping review describes nursing's contribution to the literature on the management of patients with pain and opioid misuse, generating evidence to guide clinical care.

Design: The scoping review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guideline.

An Integrative Review on Factors Contributing to Fear of Cancer Recurrence Among Young Adult Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is the most prevalent need among breast cancer survivors. Age is the most consistent predictor of higher FCR, with prevalence rates as high as 70% among young adults. Although the association between age and higher FCR is well established, a more comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to higher FCR among young adult breast cancer survivors is needed.

Multidimensional Pain Assessment Tools for Ambulatory and Inpatient Nursing Practice.

Background: One of the critical components in pain management is the assessment of pain. Multidimensional measurement tools capture multiple aspects of a patient's pain experience but can be cumbersome to administer in busy clinical settings.

Aim: We conducted a systematic review to identify brief multidimensional pain assessment tools that nurses can use in both ambulatory and acute care settings.

The Effect of Glucose Levels Prior to Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation on Post-Transplant Complications and Health Resource Utilization.

Abnormal blood glucose (BG) levels during hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are associated with increased infections, delayed engraftment, and prolonged hospitalization, though little is known about these associations. We retrospectively evaluated mean BG levels in the week prior to HCT and subsequent outcomes for 852 HCTs at our hospital from 1/2009 - 12/2013 pertaining to 745 patients. Outcomes included infections (pneumonia, , positive cultures, administration of antimicrobials, or neutropenic fever), time-to-engraftment (TTE), and quality indicators (30- and 90-day readmission rates [RR] and median length-of-stay [LOS]).

The development, usability, and reliability of the Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) for head and neck cancer.

Background: Annually, over 65,000 persons are diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the United States. During treatment, up to 50% of patients become severely symptomatic with pain, fatigue, mouth sores, and inability to eat. Long term complications are lymphedema, fibrosis, dysphagia, and musculoskeletal impairment.

Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Patients Diagnosed With Cancer: An Integrative Review of Healthcare Utilization.

Problem Identification: The impact of mental health disorders (MHDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) on healthcare utilization (HCU) in patients with cancer is an understudied phenomenon.

Literature Search: A literature search of studies published prior to January 2018 that examined HCU in patients with preexisting MHDs or SUDs diagnosed with cancer was conducted.

Data Evaluation: The research team evaluated 22 studies for scientific rigor and examined significant trends in HCU, as well as types of the MHD, SUD, and cancer studied.

Frailty in Older Adults: Assessment, Support, and Treatment Implications in Patients With Cancer.

Background: Frailty is defined as a disability in those of advanced age, often with comorbidities, poor nutritional status, cognitive decline, and reduced functional status.

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to discuss the concept of frailty, assess the use of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), and understand the implications for treatment to maintain or enhance physical, functional, and cognitive health of older adult patients with cancer.

Methods: Literature about frailty in older adult patients diagnosed with cancer was reviewed to determine evidence-based assessment and treatment options.

Machine learning for detection of lymphedema among breast cancer survivors.

Background: In the digital era when mHealth has emerged as an important venue for health care, the application of computer science, such as machine learning, has proven to be a powerful tool for health care in detecting or predicting various medical conditions by providing improved accuracy over conventional statistical or expert-based systems. Symptoms are often indicators for abnormal changes in body functioning due to illness or side effects from medical treatment. Real-time symptom report refers to the report of symptoms that patients are experiencing at the time of reporting.

Moving Beyond Pain as the Fifth Vital Sign and Patient Satisfaction Scores to Improve Pain Care in the 21st Century.

In an attempt to address the issue of undertreated pain, the Pain as the Fifth Vital Sign (P5VS) Initiative was established to improve the quality of pain care across clinical settings. This initiative included policy efforts such as mandatory pain screening and the implementation of pain-related questions on patient satisfaction surveys. These policies have failed to enhance the treatment of pain and may have unintentionally contributed, in part, to the opioid epidemic.

Policy Research Challenges in Comparing Care Models for Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries.

Providing affordable, high-quality care for the 10 million persons who are dual-eligible beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid is an ongoing health-care policy challenge in the United States. However, the workforce and the care provided to dual-eligible beneficiaries are understudied. The purpose of this article is to provide a narrative of the challenges and lessons learned from an exploratory study in the use of clinical and administrative data to compare the workforce of two care models that deliver home- and community-based services to dual-eligible beneficiaries.

Pharmacological Approaches for the Management of Persistent Pain in Older Adults: What Nurses Need to Know.

HOW TO OBTAIN CONTACT HOURS BY READING THIS ARTICLE INSTRUCTIONS 1.4 contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity.

Multiple Chronic Conditions and Hospitalizations Among Recipients of Long-Term Services and Supports.

Background: Among older adults receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS), debilitating hospitalizations is a pervasive clinical and research problem. Multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) are prevalent in LTSS recipients. However, the combination of MCCs and diseases associated with hospitalizations of LTSS recipients is unclear.

Achieving a High-Quality Cancer Care Delivery System for Older Adults: Innovative Models of Care.

Objectives: To examine innovative models and other research-based interventions that hold potential to assure high-quality care for the growing older adult population living with cancer as one of multiple chronic conditions. Evidence from these care delivery approaches provides a roadmap for the development of future care models.

Data Sources: Published peer-reviewed literature, policy analyses, and web-based resources.

A Research Agenda for Gero-Oncology Nursing.

Objectives: The global challenge of accessible, affordable cancer care for all older adults requires a new research agenda for gero-oncology nursing to guide investigator skill development, identify priority areas for investigation, and direct resource distribution.

Data Sources: Published peer-reviewed literature and web-based resources.

Conclusion: A cross-cutting theme of the research agenda is the need to determine the gero-oncology nursing care that will preserve economic resources, promote function, provide symptom management, and incorporate patient preferences.

Hartford Gerontological Nursing Leaders: From Funding Initiative to National Organization.

In 2000, the John A. Hartford Foundation established the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Program initiative, acknowledging nursing's key role in the care of the growing population of older adults. This program has supported 249 nurse scientists with pre- and postdoctoral awards.

Comorbidities in the context of care transitions.

The growing number of individuals with comorbidities experiencing care transitions represents a challenge to the current health care system. A qualitative study of empirical literature, using the Dimensional Analysis approach, was conducted to elucidate the theoretical underpinnings of the phenomenon of individuals with comorbidities undergoing care transitions. The findings were arranged in a novel schematic demonstrating that the relationship among individual attributes, comorbidities, and care processes informed the individual's risk for adverse outcomes.

Symptom distress in older adults following cancer surgery.

Background: Symptom distress remains a significant health problem among older adults with cancer following surgery. Understanding factors influencing older adults' symptom distress may lead to early identification and interventions, decreasing morbidity and improving outcomes.

Objective: We conducted this study to identify factors associated with symptom distress following surgery among 326 community-residing patients 65 years or older with a diagnosis of thoracic, digestive, gynecologic, and genitourinary cancers.