Biomedical subjects

S Palmer-Wickham

Publications and source records attributed to S Palmer-Wickham.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Information needs and preference for information of women with breast cancer over a first course of radiation therapy.

The study assessed the information needs of women receiving a course of radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer and the relationship between information needs and preference for information. Thirty-three women were interviewed during the first (T1), third (T2), and last week of RT (T3), and one month later (T4) using the Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaire--Breast Cancer and the Information Subscale of the Health Opinion Survey. Information need scores were high and did not differ significantly across time. Information need and preference for information were correlated only at T1. Findings indicate that women with breast cancer receiving RT have high information needs and preference for information may not be a meaningful indicator of their desire for information. Health care providers need to assess the women's information needs frequently and be prepared to offer on-going educational support.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Informational needs of women with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer: development and initial testing of a tool.

This study developed and tested the Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaire-Breast Cancer (TINQ-BC), a questionnaire designed to identify the information which women with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer need to deal with their illness. The 73-item questionnaire had content validity based on findings in the literature and opinions of expert oncology nurses. It was administered to 114 women with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer during chemotherapy (n = 39), radiation therapy (n = 40) or surgery (n = 35). Item analysis determined that 51 items in five subscales should be retained in the questionnaire. The subscales, labelled Disease, Investigative Tests, Treatments, Physical, and Psychosocial had good internal consistency reliabilities with Cronbach's alphas of 0.81 to 0.93. Informational needs of women were high with mean scores over 200 in a possible range of 51-255. Informational needs were greatest in either the Disease or Treatments subscales. Marital status, level of education, and level of income were not related to level of informational need. Younger women had a greater need for information than older women (r = -0.35, P = 0.003). The results suggest that information is important to help women with breast cancer manage their illness. Nurses should give women an opportunity to ask questions and be prepared to give accurate information.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Information needs of women during early treatment for breast cancer.

This study assessed the information needs of 70 women with breast cancer being treated by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Information needs were measured by the breast cancer version of the Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaire (TINQ-BC). All women had high information needs, irrespective of type of treatment received. They mainly wanted information about their disease, treatments and investigative tests. An examination of individual items on the TINQ-BC revealed that all women wanted information about recurrence, specifically they wanted to know if the cancer would come back and how to tell if it had recurred. The results provide nurses with some direction as to what information to give women receiving early treatment for breast cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Bridging the gap between research and clinical practice: a collaborative approach.

In nursing, a gap sometimes exists between research and practice. This paper discusses how a group of 11 nurses successfully bridged this gap. The group was composed of nurses from a large teaching hospital, a regional outpatient cancer center, and a university. The result of the group's work over a two-year period was an externally funded research proposal. This paper discusses the strategies that led to the group's success and provides specific recommendations for nurses who want to form similar groups.

Cancer Care Facilities↗