BACKGROUND: Advances in research and technology coupled with an increased cancer incidence and prevalence have resulted in significant expansion of cancer nurse role, in order to meet the growing demands and expectations of people affected by cancer (PABC). Cancer nurses are also tasked with delivering an increasing number of complex interventions as a result of ongoing clinical trials in cancer research. However much of this innovation is undocumented, and we have little insight about the nature of novel interventions currently being designed or delivered by cancer nurses.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and synthesise the available evidence from clinical trials on interventions delivered or facilitated by cancer nurses.

DATA SOURCES AND REVIEW METHODS: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCT), quasi-RCTs and controlled before and after studies (CBA) of cancer nursing interventions aimed at improving the experience and outcomes of PABC. Ten electronic databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, Epistemonikos, CDSR, DARE, HTA, WHO ICTRP) were searched between 01 January 2000 and 31 May 2016. No language restrictions were applied. Bibliographies of selected studies and relevant Cochrane reviews were also hand-searched. Interventions delivered by cancer nurses were classified according to the OMAHA System. Heat maps were used to highlight the volume of evidence available for different cancer groups, intervention types and stage of cancer care continuum.

RESULTS: The search identified 22,450 records; we screened 16,169 abstracts and considered 925 full papers, of which 214 studies (247,550 participants) were included in the evidence synthesis. The majority of studies were conducted in Europe (n = 79) and USA (n = 74). Interventions were delivered across the cancer continuum from prevention and risk reduction to survivorship, with the majority of interventions delivered during the treatment phase (n = 137). Most studies (131/214) had a teaching, guidance or counselling component. Cancer nurse interventions were targeted at primarily breast, prostate or multiple cancers. No studies were conducted in brain, sarcoma or other rare cancer types. The majority of the studies (n = 153) were nurse-led and delivered by specialist cancer nurses (n = 74) or advanced cancer nurses (n = 29), although the quality of reporting was poor.

CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to synthesise evidence from intervention studies across the entire cancer spectrum. As such, this work provides new insights into the nature of the contribution that cancer nurses have made to evidence-based innovations, as well as highlighting areas in which cancer nursing trials can be developed in the future.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: Symptom experience in patients with cancer consists of several dimensions, often measured descriptively within various populations but seldom used as intervention outcomes. This review aims at describing symptom dimensions as outcomes of interventions designed to alleviate symptoms in patients with cancer and to describe these interventions' effects on at least two symptom dimensions. LITERATURE SEARCH: The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews was used. Searches were undertaken in various indexing sites. DATA EVALUATION: Extracted data included design, participants, intervention and control group treatment, targeted symptom dimension, and summary of results. SYNTHESIS: 2,041 articles were identified and 15 were included. The symptom dimensions were intensity, distress, prevalence, frequency, consequences, and quality. Eleven interventions had significant effect on symptom dimensions, mostly on intensity and distress. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Oncology nurses need clinical skills to be able to understand patients' experiences through their narratives. Various interventions are targeted at symptoms, and these need to be implemented to provide evidence-based symptom management.

BACKGROUND:

The development of nursing research capacity and interactions with cultural and structural issues is at various stages throughout Europe. This process appears to be remarkably similar irrespective of the country. Sweden has developed this capacity since the 1990s, whereas France is experiencing a transition. Nevertheless, knowledge about how nurses conceive their learning about nursing research and transitioning toward being researchers is scarce.

OBJECTIVES:

The aim of this study was to explore French and Swedish RNs' conceptions of research education and educational passage toward research and to describe how learning research contributes to the understanding of their norms and practices.

DESIGN:

A phenomenographic approach was used to understand and describe the qualitatively different ways in which French and Swedish RNs conceive research and its apprenticeship.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS:

A purposive maximum variation sampling of five French and five Swedish Nurse Researchers with PhDs.

METHODS:

Individual in-depth interviews conducted in France and Sweden between November 2012 and March 2013 were analysed using phenomenography.

FINDINGS:

The analysis revealed one main category, "Organisational factors to sustain individual apprenticeship". Three descriptive categories have emerged from the data and its variations amongst French and Swedish nurses: (1) entrance into research--modes of commitment; (2) nurses' engagement--the need for dedicated support; and (3) research as the means to resolve nursing situations.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study demonstrates how registered nurses have integrated nursing and researcher roles following different efficient paths. Education in nursing research is part of the strategy needed for the development of nursing research and is supported by the integration of research and practic

Background: Sexuality in relation to Health- Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is mostly studied with younger patients as participants who have undergone bone marrow transplantation and concerns fertility and/or sexual function. However, patients with hematologic malignancies such as DLBCL, CLL or AML most often are above their fifties and are treated with chemo- or chemoimmunotherapy.

Objective: The aim was to examine how sexuality and HRQoL was affected in patients with hematologic malignancies, at baseline compared to one month after chemo- or chemoimmunotherapy.

Methods:  Data were collected twice with a longitudinal design, using The Sexual Adjustment Questionnaire - S and EORTC QLQ C30.

Results:  Thirty-two patients responded. The importance of sexuality, sexual desire and sexual ability decreased one month after treatment and distressing symptoms such as feelings of tiredness occurred more frequently, compared to baseline. At the same time improvement in Global health status/QoL as well as affected functions in HRQoL was reported.

Conclusion:

The findings are of significance for nurses in cancer care as it highlights that sexuality and HRQoL needs to be considered also in older patients with hematologic malignancies when fertility issues are of less importance. 

Implication for practice:

In order to meet these patients’ needs regarding sexuality and HRQoL the care must provide greater consistency and continuity. One way is to organize the care in a patient-centered way where patients continuously meet a nurse guided by the idea of holistic individual nursing care throughout the care trajectory.

Background To ensure patients and families receive appropriate end-of-life care pathways and guidelines aim to inform clinical decision making. Ensuring appropriate outcomes through the use of these decision aids is dependent on timely use. Diagnosing dying is a complex clinical decision, and most of the available practice checklists relate to cancer. There is a need to review evidence to establish diagnostic indicators that death is imminent on the basis of need rather than a cancer diagnosis.

Aim To examine the evidence as to how patients are judged by clinicians as being in the final hours or days of life.

Design Integrative literature review.

Data sources Five electronic databases (2001–2011): Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) on The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. The search yielded a total of 576 hits, 331 titles and abstracts were screened, 42 papers were retrieved and reviewed and 23 articles were included.

Results Analysis reveals an overarching theme of uncertainty in diagnosing dying and two subthemes: (1) ‘characteristics of dying’ involve dying trajectories that incorporate physical, social, spiritual and psychological decline towards death; (2) ‘treatment orientation’ where decision making related to diagnosing dying may remain focused towards biomedical interventions rather than systematic planning for end-of-life care.

Conclusions The findings of this review support the explicit recognition of ‘uncertainty in diagnosing dying’ and the need to work with and within this concept. Clinical decision making needs to allow for recovery where that potential exists, but equally there is the need to avoid futile interventions.

The national clinical final examination (NCFE) plays an important role in order to measure thelevel of knowledge and performance of nursing students. Our findings indicate that the design of the NCFE is beneficial for the students' clinical reasoning and problem solution in the caring situation. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of the NCFE from lecturers who corrected the written part examination. A further aim was to study the lectures and the RN during observation in the bedside part of the examination. The NCFE is divided into two parts: a theoretical (written) part and a practical (bedside) part. In nursing education it is essential to assess nursing competencies for the future professional role such as the assessment of clinical competence that has become central to evaluate what outcomes are assessed. In addition, it provides a valuable approach to measure the level of knowledge and performance of nursing students. Future development of the NCFE is necessary  egarding the degree to which the examination meets learning objectives and educational results.