Attitudes to cancer of medical and surgical nurses in a district general hospital

Empathic approach to reducing the negative attitudes of nursing undergraduate students towards cancer

BACKGROUND

In cases where even professional nurses have difficulty in giving care to cancer patients, student nurses may not be able to provide adequate care and sometimes develop a negative behavior or attitude towards this patient group.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the attitudes of nursing undergraduate students towards cancer and the empathic approach.

DESIGN

The study was carried out using the cross-sectional research design.

SETTINGS

A university located in the southeast of Turkey between November-December 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

Nursing students from one Turkey nursing school.

METHODS

The research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes towards Cancer (Cancer Stigma) (QMAC) - Community Version, and Jefferson's Empathy Scale for Nursing Students (JESNS).

RESULTS

240 students volunteered to participate in the study, and the rate of the students' response to the questionnaires was 52%. Of all the nursing students, 66.2% of them were female; 45.4% had a moderate perception of their economic status; 94.2% had no chronic disease; 90.4% had no family history regarding cancer; 67.9% had never been in an oncology clinic, and 59.2 of them had received training on empathy. When nursing students' attitudes towards cancer were examined, it was seen that empathic approach (β = -0.291; p < .01) and chronic disease treatment received (β = 0.174; p = .005) were found to be significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

The results revealed that the nursing undergraduate students' negative perception of cancer decreased as their empathic skills increased. In addition, the students' receiving treatment for chronic diseases increased their negative perception of cancer. In order to reduce the negative attitudes of nursing students towards cancer, more trainings, lectures and seminars or clinical skills training regarding the development of empathic skills could be included in the undergraduate nursing curriculum.

Understanding the Challenges of Providing Holistic Oncology Nursing Care in Nigeria

This article describes the current state of cancer nursing and the various challenges that hinder the provision of effective nursing care to cancer patients in Nigeria. The major issue identified was the lack of specialized oncology nursing education which should actually form a basis for nurses to practice in the oncology setting. Other issues include poor facilities for oncology nursing care, lack of specific cancer centers resulting in the management of cancer patients in non-specialist wards. It is therefore recommended that solidified structure be put in place in order to establish and strengthen the nursing curriculum which has a strong potential for improving the knowledge and skills of nurses to care for people living with cancer in Nigeria.

An innovation in curriculum content and delivery of cancer education within undergraduate nurse training in the UK. What impact does this have on the knowledge, attitudes and confidence in delivering cancer care?

PURPOSE

This was an evaluation of an innovation in curriculum content and delivery within undergraduate nursing education in the UK. Its purpose was to investigate the effect on knowledge, attitudes and confidence in delivering cancer care.

METHODS

The study design was a pre-test post-test survey design with a comparison group. Participants were two cohorts of undergraduate nursing students (n(intervention) = 84, n(comparison) = 91). The intervention cohort were exposed to a new 3.5 day programme of cancer education, coproduced with patients, carers and health professionals, which focused on cancer as a life changing long-term condition. The comparison cohort had been exposed to a 2 day programme produced by a lecturer.

RESULTS

Following exposure to the new model for the delivery of undergraduate nurse cancer education, the intervention cohort demonstrated good overall knowledge of the impact of cancer, more positive attitudes towards cancer treatment and more confidence in their ability to deliver cancer care. Attitudes were more positive and confidence in ability to support cancer patients at all stages of the cancer journey were greater than in the comparison group. Insights gained into the cancer patient and carer perspectives were highly valued.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has found that a new model for the delivery of cancer education focusing on survivorship and delivered in partnership with patients, carers and clinicians, may improve knowledge, attitudes and confidence in the delivery of cancer care. Further work is now needed, using a more robust experimental design, to investigate the generalisability of the results to other education programs.

Nurses' blame attributions towards different types of cancer: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Public health education increasingly emphasizes the link of personal lifestyle with cancer risk, which may result in unintended negative social effects such as triggering stigma and/or blame towards cancer patients when their illness is perceived to be caused by personal behaviours or disapproved lifestyles.

OBJECTIVES

To explore nurses' blame attributions towards patients with different types of cancer and to identify associated factors.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

A tertiary cancer-specialized hospital in Beijing.

PARTICIPANTS

317 Chinese oncology nurses working in the cancer hospital.

METHODS

Participant nurses completed a self-administrated anonymous questionnaire and rated how much they would blame someone with a diagnosis of breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, as well as leukaemia and obesity.

RESULTS

More than half of the oncology nurses (57.1%) attributed at least some blame to patients with leukaemia, following with breast cancer (67.5%), cervical cancer (79.2%), liver cancer (79.2%), and colon cancer (78.5%). Lung cancer patients attracted at least some blame by 82.0% of participating nurses. Attributions of blame for patients with lung, cervical, colon and liver cancer were most common among nurses with shorter working experience.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that a high proportion of Chinese nurses attributed at least some blame to patients with different cancers despite being working in a cancer-specialized hospital. Future education and support for nurses are essential to avoid negative attitudes and blame attributions to cancer patients in order to enhance the quality of care.

Nursing student attitudes toward oncology nursing: an evidence-based literature review

Oncology education can impact nursing students' attitudes toward oncology and their interest in oncology nursing. To explore that relationship, a literature search was conducted using the CINAHL®, Cochrane Library, ERIC®, PubMed, and Scopus® databases. Nineteen pertinent studies were incorporated into the review, and recommendations were graded by strength of evidence schemas. The reviewed literature indicated undergraduate oncology education may be effective in encouraging nursing students to consider oncology as a practice area. Negative attitudes toward oncology such as fear and pessimism often are seen in students and practicing nurses. Educational interventions for students and nurses are effective in increasing knowledge and skills that are instrumental in fostering confidence and positive attitudes toward oncology nursing. All nursing students should have organized, mandatory clinical and didactic oncology nursing education experiences. Additional research is needed to support the effectiveness of educational strategies in influencing students' intent to practice oncology nursing. Innovative strategies including nontraditional clinical experiences, internships, fellowships, high-fidelity simulation, and postgraduate residencies are needed to provide adequate educational opportunities for nursing students to foster a strong and proficient oncology nursing workforce.

Oncology health care professionals' attitudes to cancer: a professional concern

BACKGROUND

Despite the known benefits of screening, early detection and advances in treatment modalities, negative attitudes to cancer persist among health care professionals, and cancer remains the most feared disease in modern society. Attitudes to cancer may create a barrier to communication between patients and health care professionals, hinder early detection, treatment and rehabilitation, and may influence decision making about referral to specialist services and the selection of appropriate treatments.

DESIGN

A descriptive survey was conducted, within a Regional Cancer Centre, to evaluate oncology health care professionals' attitudes towards cancer. Attitudes were measured using the Burns' Cancer Belief Scales.

RESULTS

Regardless of gender, profession and clinical experience, all health care professionals displayed persistently negative attitudes towards cancer. No statistically significant difference was detected between gender, profession, clinical experience or specialist education, and although small in number, no major differences were found between group means.

CONCLUSIONS

Oncology health care professionals hold negative attitudes towards cancer and changing these attitudes presents a significant challenge. Educational programmes and supportive strategies may alleviate fears and promote a more positive image of cancer. However, such strategies must be based on an understanding of current attitudes towards this phenomenon.