Oncology Nursing Forum 

About: Oncology Nursing Forum is an academic journal published by Oncology Nursing Society. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Oncology nursing & Breast cancer. It has an ISSN identifier of 0190-535X. Over the lifetime, 3557 publications have been published receiving 106913 citations. The journal is also known as: Oncol Nurs Forum.

The Use of Triangulation in Qualitative Research

Abstract: Triangulation refers to the use of multiple methods or data sources in qualitative research to develop a comprehensive understanding of phenomena (Patton, 1999). Triangulation also has been viewed as a qualitative research strategy to test validity through the convergence of information from different sources. Denzin (1978) and Patton (1999) identified four types of triangulation: (a) method triangulation, (b) investigator triangulation, (c) theory triangulation, and (d) data source triangulation. The current article will present the four types of triangulation followed by a discussion of the use of focus groups (FGs) and in-depth individual (IDI) interviews as an example of data source triangulation in qualitative inquiry.

Symptom clusters and their effect on the functional status of patients with cancer.

Abstract: PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of the symptom cluster of pain, fatigue, and sleep insufficiency on functional status during three cycles of chemotherapy. DESIGN Prospective, longitudinal. SETTING 23 outpatient offices and clinics. SAMPLE 93 patients with cancer. The typical participant was female (72%), married/partnered (65%), white (87%), and middle-aged (55.4 years), with an average of 14.8 years of education. METHODS The Quality of Life-Cancer (QOL-CA) version instrument and the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) were completed by 93 outpatients receiving chemotherapy at baseline (Time 1) and at the end of the third cycle (Time 2). Three items (pain, tires easily, sleeps enough to meet needs) from the QOL-CA questionnaire were used to measure the symptom cluster. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Symptom cluster, outcome, functional status, chemotherapy. FINDINGS A hierarchical multiple regression model explained 48.4% of the variance in functional status. The KPS at Time 1 explained 30.8% of the variance in KPS at Time 2 (p < 0.001). After KPS at Time 1 was partialled out from KPS at Time 2, the four independent variables entered in the next step were considered predictors of the change in functional status between Time 1 and Time 2. Age explained 11.8% of the change (p = 0.001), pain explained 10.7% of the change (p = 0.002), and fatigue explained 7.3% of the change (p = 0.011). Sleep insufficiency statistically was not significant, only explaining 1% of the change (p = 0.344). CONCLUSION This study provides beginning insights into the effect of a symptom cluster on patients' functional status. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the presence of symptom clusters and their possible synergistic adverse effect on patients' future morbidity.

The revised Piper Fatigue Scale: psychometric evaluation in women with breast cancer.

Abstract: Purpose/objectives To confirm the multidimensionality of the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and to reduce the total number of PFS items without compromising reliability and validity estimates. Design Methodologic, part of a larger, cross-sectional, mailed survey design study. Setting Urban and suburban area in the northeast United States. Sample As part of the larger study, 2,250 surveys were distributed to women survivors of breast cancer who were on a mailing list for the educational organization Living Beyond Breast Cancer, 715 surveys (32%) were returned. Of these, 382 women met this methodologic study's criteria for having completed each of the 40 items on the PFS. The average respondent was 50 years old, postmenopausal, and treated with combination cancer therapy. Methods Principal axes factor analysis with oblique rotation. Main research variables Fatigue factors/subscales. Findings Five factors/subscales were identified initially. Because the fifth factor contained only two items (ability to bathe/wash and ability to dress), these items and the associated factor/subscale were dropped from the final solution. An additional nine items, not loading on any factor (> 0.40), also were dropped. The remaining items and factors/subscales were reviewed to ensure that the criteria were met: a pattern of inter-item correlations between 0.30-0.70; a minimum number of five or more items/subscale; standardized alpha for the subscales and total scale of at least 0.89; and absence of gender-specific items. Conclusions The revised version of the PFS consists of 22 items and four subscales: behavioral/severity (6 items), affective meaning (5 items), sensory (5 items) and cognitive/mood (6 items). Standardized alpha for the entire scale (n = 22 items) is 0.97, indicating that some redundancy still may exist among the items. Additional revisions await further testing. Implications for nursing practice As fatigue is acknowledged to be the most frequent symptom experienced by patients with cancer, accurate measurement and assessment is essential to advance not only the science of fatigue but, most importantly, to evaluate the efficacy of intervention strategies on patient and family outcomes.

Effects of exercise on fatigue, physical functioning, and emotional distress during radiation therapy for breast cancer.

Abstract: PURPOSES/OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that women participating in a walking exercise program during radiation therapy treatment for breast cancer would demonstrate more adaptive responses as evidenced by higher levels of physical functioning and lower levels of symptom intensity than women who did not participate. DESIGN: Experimental, two-group pretest, post-test. SETTING: Two university teaching hospital outpatient radiation therapy departments. SAMPLE: 46 women beginning a six-week program of radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer. METHODS: Following random assignment, subjects in the exercise group maintained an individualized, self-paced, home-based walking exercise program throughout treatment. The control group received usual care. Dependent variables were measured prior to and at the end of radiation therapy. In addition, symptoms were assessed at the end of three weeks of treatment. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Participation in the walking exercise program, physical functioning fatigue, emotional distress, and difficulty sleeping. FINDINGS: Hypothesis testing by multivariate analysis of covariance, with pretest scores as covariates, indicated significant differences between groups on outcome measures (p < 0.001). The exercise group scored significantly higher than the usual care group on physical functioning (p = 0.003) and symptom intensity, particularly fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. Fatigue was the most frequent and intense subjective symptom reported. CONCLUSIONS: A self-paced, home-based walking exercise program can help manage symptoms and improve physical functioning during radiation therapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurse-prescribed and -monitored exercise is an effective, convenient, and low-cost self-care activity that reduces symptoms and facilitates adaptation to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.