The symptom experiences of Puerto Rican children undergoing cancer treatments and alleviation practices as reported by their mothers.

Although symptoms during cancer treatments are prevalent and are important clinical outcomes of childhood cancer, the symptom experiences of Puerto Rican children along with the symptom alleviation/care practices that parents provide during cancer treatments have received limited attention. To examine the occurrence/severity of symptoms on the Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist-Children (TRSC-C), reported by mothers of Puerto Rican children undergoing cancer treatments and identifying mothers' symptom alleviation/management strategies. Descriptive study conducted between January and May 2012.

Self-reported assessment of symptoms and self-care within a cohort of U.S. veterans during outpatient care for cancer.

Background: This study was undertaken as part of a feasibility study of the use of a symptom checklist and self-care assessment of veterans receiving oncology outpatient treatment within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system.

The development and application of an oncology Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist for Adults (TRSC) and Children (TRSC-C) and e-health applications.

Background: Studies found that treatment symptoms of concern to oncology/hematology patients were greatly under-identified in medical records. On average, 11.0 symptoms were reported of concern to patients compared to 1.

Symptom alleviation and self-care among breast cancer survivors after treatment completion.

Background: This article elucidates the symptom experiences of breast cancer survivors after completion of their treatment. It also provides self reports of the types, frequency of use, and effectiveness of self-care measures to treat the symptoms they are experiencing.

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to describe the self-care strategies used to alleviate symptoms reported by breast cancer survivors recruited from a secure state coalition database.

Monitoring and Alleviation of Symptom Occurrence and Severity Among Thai Children and Adolescents During Cancer Treatments.

Background: Symptom monitoring and alleviation are important during pediatric cancer treatments.

Aims: To examine the use of the Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist for Children (TRSC-C; Thai version) for reported occurrence, severity, and management of treatment-related symptoms within a cohort of Thai pediatric oncology patients/parents

Method: Cross-sectional study; convenience sample: 100 parents of 71 male children/29 females, 63% with leukemia, 37%, other diagnoses; age-groups: <5 years, n = 33; 5 to 11 years, n = 44; 12 to 17 years, n = 25. Parents reported children's symptom occurrence/severity on the TRSC-C; and complementary care methods on the Symptom Alleviation: Self-Care Methods and their symptom alleviation methods.

Symptom monitoring, alleviation, and self-care among Mexican Americans during cancer treatment.

Monitoring the occurrence and severity of symptoms among Mexican American adults undergoing cancer treatments, along with their self-care to alleviate symptoms, are understudied; the current study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. A total of 67 Mexican Americans receiving outpatient oncology treatments in the southwestern United States participated. Instruments included a patient-report checklist, the Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist (TRSC), the Symptom Alleviation: Self-Care Methods tool, and a demographic and health information form.

Parental caregiving of children with cancer and family impact, economic burden: nursing perspectives.

Pediatric cancer diagnoses affect the entire family: parents, well siblings, the ill child, and others. The objective of this study was to review nursing studies on parental caregiving of children with cancer, family impact, and costs. The study used inclusion/exclusion criteria and family systems theory, self/dependent-care, and symptom management (monitoring, alleviation) concepts.

Symptom occurrence and severity on the therapy-related symptom checklist for children among Hispanic pediatric oncology outpatients.

Background: A calibrated easy-to-use symptom checklist for children who are under treatment for cancer had been developed and reported in Cancer Nursing. The 30-item Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist for Children (TRSC-C) has good measurement and psychometric properties and uses "kid-friendly" terms to monitor symptom occurrence and severity during oncology treatment. A secondary analysis is reported using participants who self-identified as Hispanic.

A case-control study of pediatric falls using electronic medical records.

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS) scores using electronic medical records (EMR) reports at a pediatric hospital to determine characteristics related to falls, injuries, and performance of the HDFS tool. The specific research question was: Is there a significant difference in HDFS total scores between cases (children who fell) and controls (those who did not fall)? Results from 74 cases and 242 controls revealed the number of falls did not differ significantly between those who obtained high HDFS scores and those who obtained low scores. HDFS sensitivity was 57%, specificity was 39%.

Repiphysis prosthesis for limb preservation in pediatric patients with bone cancer: a literature review.

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone sarcoma in children and adolescents. It occurs mainly around the knee joint; the distal femur is the most common location. When it occurs in children who are skeletally immature, a significant limb length discrepancy can occur.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality-of-Life Inventory Cancer Module.

Background: Before the Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality-of-Life Inventory Cancer Module can be used to assess the multidimensional construct of quality of life among Hong Kong Chinese pediatric patients with cancer, its psychometric properties need to be further empirically tested.

Objective: The objectives of the study were to establish the construct validity, including hypothesis testing and a confirmatory factor analysis of factor structure, of the Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality-of-Life Inventory Cancer Module.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was used; 200 children hospitalized with cancer (9- to 16-year-olds) were recruited.

Relationships among therapy-related symptoms, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in Chinese children hospitalized with cancer: an exploratory study.

Background: Recent advances in cancer screening and treatment have resulted in a decrease in mortality rates in children and adolescents. However, despite the improved prognosis, the course of cancer treatment continues to be a very stressful experience in the life of a child.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the occurrence and severity of treatment-related symptoms manifested by children and adolescents undergoing active cancer treatment and to examine the relationships between therapy-related symptoms, depressive symptoms, and quality of life of these pediatric patients.

Therapy-related symptom checklist use during treatments at a cancer center.

Background: Cancer treatment efficacy has improved with therapies at high or sustained dosages. However, there is increasing concern about symptom management and patients' quality of life.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess whether use of a Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist (TRSC) with oncology outpatients increases the number of symptoms documented and managed and whether this improves patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

A symptom checklist for children with cancer: the Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist-Children.

Background: Symptom monitoring and alleviation are basic to the care of children and adolescents with cancer. A symptom checklist helps facilitate this process.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to calibrate a child-friendly, clinically usable checklist capturing symptom occurrence and severity; a secondary objective was to examine age group differences: 5 to 11 years (n = 222) and 12 to 17 years (n = 163) and sex differences: males (54%) and females (46%), and correlate symptom severity, functional status, and quality of life.

An intervention to manage patient-reported symptoms during cancer treatment.

Patients with cancer receiving therapy may face a variety of complicated and stressful symptoms. Oncology nurses can advocate for patients by performing their roles as educators and comanagers of cancer-related side effects. In addition, symptom-focused education provided by oncology nurses can enable patients to administer self-care more effectively.

Support programs for new graduates in pediatric nursing.

This study examined intent to stay and the relationship between work satisfaction and burnout in a sample of new registered nurse graduates hired at a freestanding children's hospital. The following research questions were addressed: (1) Two years after initial employment, what is the percentage of new graduates who intend to stay on the job? (2) Is there a relationship between work satisfaction and burnout? (3) What is the turnover rate after the implementation of a support group program for new registered nurses? Of a target group of 75 new graduate nurses, 33 (44%) completed a modified version of Aiken's Revised Nursing Work Index and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. A majority of the registered nurses intended to stay on the job, with 87.

Effects of patient teaching, educational materials, and coaching using telephone on dyspnea and physical functioning among persons with heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of death in Thailand and other developing countries. This study shows that a coaching using telephone program is an accessible and feasible strategy that helps patients with HF to self-manage HF symptoms, decrease dyspnea, and improve physical functioning at home.

Symptom monitoring and self-care practices among oncology adults in China.

Background: Cancer is a major health problem in Asia.

Objective: This study's purpose was to examine patient-reported symptoms and self-care strategies of Chinese adults during cancer treatments.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study in cancer centers in Hong Kong and Xi'an, China, was conducted.

Cancer therapy-related symptoms and self-care in Thailand.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine patient-reported symptoms and self-care strategies in Thai patients with cancer.

Methods: The study was descriptive using a cross-sectional design. It was carried out at the National Cancer Institute, Thailand (Bangkok; Lopburi).

Symptom monitoring and self-care practices among Filipino cancer patients.

The purpose of this study was to assess patient-reported symptoms and self-care methods used during cancer treatments, using checklists. A descriptive study was performed at the cancer institute of a national medical center in Manila on 100 patients undergoing combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy, n = 37, or chemotherapy alone, n = 63. Instruments used were (a) 25-item patient-reported Therapy-Related Symptoms Checklist (TRSC), (b) Self-care Methods (with the 25 TRSC items) tool, (c) Karnofsky Scale, (d) Demographic form, and (e) Health form.

Pediatric chronic illness (cancer, cystic fibrosis) effects on well siblings: parents' voices.

This study is a secondary analysis of data gathered during baseline data collection prior to a cognitive-psychosocial-respite intervention provided in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Content analysis was used to identify themes in parents' responses to an open-ended item about their perceptions of the effects on siblings of having a brother or sister who has either cancer or cystic fibrosis (CF). Of 91 themes tallied in the cancer group (n = 29), 74.

The Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale: a case-control study.

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess whether the Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS) identifies hospitalized pediatric patients at high risk for falls.

Design And Methods: The study was a matched case-control design. A chart review of 153 pediatric cases who fell and 153 controls who did not fall were pair-matched by age, gender, and diagnosis.

Communication themes in families of children with chronic conditions.

This qualitative study identified communication themes among well siblings, parents, and others within families of children with chronic conditions. Semi-structured interviews of 30 parent-well sibling dyads were content analyzed from a larger study of families of children with chronic conditions. Four themes emerged: communication as a reflection of family roles and relationships, giving voice, staying connected, and struggling for normalcy.

Cancer treatment, symptom monitoring, and self-care in adults: pilot study.

A descriptive study was conducted on self-reported symptoms and self-care by 37 adults receiving chemotherapy primarily for leukemia, lymphomas, or breast cancer or radiation therapy for head and neck or lung cancers. The Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist and demographic and interview forms on self-care for identified symptoms were used. Severe symptoms on the Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist subscales fatigue, eating, nausea, pain, numbness in fingers/toes, hair loss, and constipation were reported by patients on chemotherapy.