Breast cancer center: improving access to patient care.

To improve access for patients to the Breast Cancer Center at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Opportunities for Improvement Project team defined 3 goals: reduce the delay to initial appointment, reduce delays in treatment at the Breast Cancer Center, and reduce delays in the start of endocrine therapy. The team developed a set of tools using Lean methodology that helped to address variables contributing to inefficiencies that result in delays. The idea behind these tools was to integrate all the business variables, such as volume, clinical space, physician availability, services offered in the Breast Program, and patient types, to produce a system or schedule that is more predictable.

Unsupportive social interactions in the weeks immediately following breast cancer diagnosis.

Unsupportive social interactions (USIs) experienced by people with cancer negatively affect psychological well-being. Forty-five interviews with 26 women were analyzed using directed content analysis to explore USIs experienced during the stressful pretreatment and early postsurgical periods after early-stage breast cancer diagnosis. Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to USIs were also explored.

Exploring the first days of adjustment to cancer: a modification of acclimating to breast cancer theory.

Background: Psychological adjustment may not be achieved by some women even years after breast cancer diagnosis. Although level of adjustment to diagnosis in the earliest (pretreatment) period is associated with future adjustment, limited research has explored this early period. Greater knowledge of women's thoughts and behaviors as adjustment is initiated is needed to target interventions for women at risk for future adjustment problems.