Biomedical subjects

L Sarna

Publications and source records attributed to L Sarna.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Tobacco-control attitudes, advocacy, and smoking behaviors of oncology nurses.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe oncology nurses' attitudes, smoking behaviors, and involvement in tobacco-control policy and legislation. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE: Responses from 1,508 (38% return) of 4,000 randomly selected members of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). The typical respondent was female, age 44, a staff nurse, had practiced as an oncology nurse for 12 years, and was certified as an OCN. METHODS: A mailed survey with specific questions about smoking status and the importance of nursing involvement in healthcare policy and legislation for tobacco control. MAIN RESEARCH CONCEPTS: Attitudes about tobacco-control policies and legislation; sociodemographic, professional, and institutional variables; and tobacco use. FINDINGS: The majority (85%) of members stated that nursing involvement in tobacco-control healthcare policy and legislation was important. More than 90% of respondents supported prevention of youth access to tobacco and providing information about health effects of tobacco and cessation. Seven percent (n = 106) were current smokers. Significantly fewer smokers valued involvement in tobacco-control activities. Respondents with personal experience of tobacco-related illnesses were more likely to value involvement in advocacy activities. Educational programs to prevent tobacco use among youth and to help patients stop smoking received the most support (80%). IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: This sample of ONS members strongly supported involvement in tobacco-control policies and legislation. Smoking was associated with more negative attitudes about the importance of actively engaging in tobacco control. These oncology nurses recognized the need for additional educational programs to prevent tobacco initiation by youth.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lung cancer: the overlooked womens' health priority.

Lung cancer is a serious women's health issue. The disparity between male and female deaths from lung cancer is narrowing, and the number of women with the disease is increasing. Although health of women is substantially affected by tobacco use, many books on women's health and related programs do not provide information about lung cancer and smoking. Historical definitions of women's health have limited the awareness of the risks of smoking and lung cancer as priority concerns for women. The exclusion of smoking and lung cancer in the current literature on women's health is reviewed. A 10-year review of nursing research in lung cancer prevention and care emphasizes the paucity of work on smoking prevention and cessation. Cancer prevention and detection remain high priorities in nursing care organizations; however, tobacco control policies are almost nonexistent. The healthcare professional's role in tobacco control and health policy, with special attention to the effect on women, is critical.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Correlates of symptom distress in women with lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death for women in the United States, yet studies describing the experience of women living with lung cancer are nonexistent. A sample of 69 women with lung cancer described their symptom distress using the Symptom Distress Scale (SDS). The majority of the women (86%) had been diagnosed with primary or recurrent lung cancer within the 2 years previous, 78% had non-small-cell lung cancer, and 43% were currently receiving treatment. The most prevalent and most distressing symptoms included fatigue, frequent pain, and insomnia. Poor outlook, dyspnea, and appetite disruptions were other common distressing problems. Sixty-one percent of the subjects had two or more serious symptoms. Forty-one percent of those subjects with fatigue concurrently experienced frequent pain, and 31% had insomnia. Those with recurrent disease had significantly greater levels of distress (P = 0.03). Concurrent respiratory disease, previous chemotherapy, recurrent lung cancer, no surgical treatment, and low income were associated with a high level of symptom distress (P < 0.05). Treatment was not a significant factor relating to distress. Distress was strongly correlated to quality of life (r = 0.72, P < 0.001) and functional status (r = 0.71, P < 0.001). Poverty-level income was a weak predictor of distress among demographic and disease/treatment variables, accounting for 17% of the variance. Combined with recurrence, the model accounted for 26% of the variance.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of lung cancer patient-education materials.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine the readability and content of educational materials developed specifically for patients with lung cancer. DATA SOURCES: Lung cancer patient-education materials identified in a survey of 54 cancer organizations and institutions and a literature review. DATA SYNTHESIS: Only five educational resources specifically developed to address the needs of patients with lung cancer were identified. Only two addressed dyspnea, fatigue, loss of appetite, pain, risk of recurrence, sexuality, smoking cessation, rehabilitation, or palliation. None addressed reduced functional abilities resulting from disease or treatment. All of the materials reviewed were written at a reading level of 10th grade or higher. CONCLUSIONS: Current lung cancer patient-education materials are inadequate and require advanced reading skills. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Distressing disease- and treatment-related symptoms, as well as psychological and social stressors, complicate coping with lung cancer. Existing educational resources for patients with lung cancer require modification and need to be written at more appropriate reading levels. Further research must assess and clarify the information needs of patients and determine the best method of delivering the information to patients.

Lung Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Burden of care and lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Although direct costs for treatment are important considerations in healthcare planning, the indirect costs of chronic care may have an even more profound impact on families. The burden of care of chronic illnesses is seldom addressed in healthcare policies. This article uses lung cancer as a model to illustrate the burden of care of chronic illness and to examine the many healthcare problems that affect patients, families, and society at large. OVERVIEW: Lung cancer, as a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and the second most expensive cost of cancer care, will impact more than 1 million Americans and their families in the next decade. In this article, a health services model is used to address burden of care for people with lung cancer. Predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need for healthcare are considered. Lung cancer literature related to emotional status, functional status, and symptom distress are reviewed as they relate to the physical, emotional, and social aspects of the burden of care. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The increasing responsibilities of the family in providing care in the face of limited external support, and the consequences of that caregiving, for the patient and family, raise serious concerns for clinicians. With quality of life as the ultimate health outcome, clinicians are challenged to contribute to a research and policy agenda that addresses burden of care.

Cost of Illness↗