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Biomedical subjects

L N White

Publications and source records attributed to L N White.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Medical record review in an employee cancer screening clinic.

Documentation was evaluated through a series of chart reviews in the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's employee cancer screening clinic. One hundred charts were reviewed for three periods: 1987, before a QA program was established; 1988, during the QA program's introduction; and 1989, when chart review elements were identified. Documentation increased across these periods, with a significant increase for 10 of the 32 elements across at least two periods. However, mean follow-up time (initial examination to referral and communication of test results) did not vary across time, averaging 14 days. A new computer-based data system should help reduce follow-up time and facilitate access to data on patient compliance regarding tests and referrals.

Adolescent

Employees' perceptions of an on-site cancer screening clinic.

A 14-question survey was mailed to 355 employees examined during a 5-month period in 1989 in a nurse-administered employee cancer screening clinic at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Almost 60% of the study group (209/355) responded to the survey, which was designed to measure employees' attitudes toward the on-site clinic. Overall, respondents viewed the program very positively, and almost all of those still employed by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the time of the survey said they would return for an examination the next year. Between 52 and 80% of respondents reported increasing the practice of self-examinations for cancer. Of the quarter of the study group who identified themselves as being smokers at the time of the screening examination, 63% said they were no longer smoking. Finally, the analysis showed that having registered nurse participants present during screening did not significantly affect employees' willingness to return for an examination the next year. The survey results indicate that employees view the screening program favorably, that the education they receive affects their behavior, and that almost all have a positive attitude about returning for an examination the next year.

Adult

Evaluation of a cancer prevention and detection continuing education program for nurses.

To stay relevant and continue to meet the needs it was created to meet, a 15-year-old continuing education program in cancer prevention and detection for nurses has found change a constant. The process it has followed in evaluation--identifying goals, gathering and analyzing data, and reporting the results--can be compared with the nursing process in which feedback prompts changes and initiates the evaluation process all over again. The most recent part of the program's ongoing evaluation involved 70 nurses enrolled in a three-week continuing education program in which the nurses were pretested and posttested to measure cognitive gain in nine content areas covered in classroom and clinical instruction. Paired t test scores showed overall that students' scores improved significantly, increasing a mean of 18% across all categories. These results indicate that students are gaining knowledge, and measures of skills, improving on those already in place, are being added in what is only the latest modification of a program shaped by feedback from students, faculty, and research.

Clinical Competence

Closing the gap.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Communication

Screening by nurse clinicians in cancer prevention and detection.

Cancer screening by definition as an organized effort to detect cancer at an early stage when reduced mortality is possible. Cancer screening should not be the exclusive responsibility of comprehensive cancer centers or large urban medical centers. Rather, every health professional should play a significant role in the early detection and education of patients with cancer. As seen here, some of the most common and life-threatening forms of cancer are the most preventable. Practical and inexpensive steps exist for thorough and effective screening. Nurses educated in the early detection of cancer are in a unique position; they are on the front line of patient care in the promotion and education of patients to the many benefits of early detection. Preventive efforts, such as screening and early detection, coupled with vastly improved treatment modalities, provide a very real and potent weapon against diseases that only 20 years ago were considered incurable.

Breast Neoplasms