Interprofessional School Team Members" Views on the School Nurse Role: A Cross-Sectional Study

Interprofessional School Team Members" Views on the School Nurse Role: A Cross-Sectional Stud

Construction and validation of the quality of oncology nursing care scale (QONCS)

Background: There is scarcity of questionnaires specifically on the quality of the nursing care provided to patients diagnosed with cancer. The available questionnaires have been developed without attributing a holistic approach to the care provided with important patient's needs remaining without assessment. The main aim was to develop a self-administered cancer specific questionnaire exploring patients' views on quality nursing care provided in oncology settings. Methods: The development of the scale proceeded through three phases. As part of the first development phase areas of concern and items of interest were identified through a literature review. The second phase included a pilot study of the QONCS and a subsequent validation phase through a multicentre study in 3 hospitals, 4 departments and 418 patients diagnosed with cancer and receiving care as inpatients. The study was designed to select items, identify dimensions, measure reliability, content and construct validity. Results: The QONCS consisted of 34 items. A factorial analysis grouped the items into five categories that define quality nursing care: a) Being supported and confirmed, b) Spiritual caring c) Sense of belonging, d) Being valued and e) Being respected. Cronbach's alpha was 0.95 for the entire questionnaire. The factor solution explained 68.53% of the variance. Conclusions: QONCS appears to measure with adequate reliability and validity the attributes of quality nursing care within the oncological settings and to patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses and at different phases of the cancer trajectory. The instrument is quick to disseminate and easy to complete, making it a suitable instrument for nursing professionals to evaluate patients' self-perceived quality of nursing care as a mean to promote the quality of the care provided in oncological settings

Cancer patients' self assessment of quality of life at home in comparison with nursing assessment

Introduction. Home health care is a new structure, which is not very common in Greece. It is intended for patients suffering from chronic illnesses, giving them the opportunity to stay at home. Cancer is a chronic illness. The main aim of home health care and oncology nursing is the achievement of a bearable level of quality of life for both the patients and their families. The subjectivity and multi-dimensional meaning of health related quality of life constitutes a challenge for nursing assessment and providing care. The aim of the study. The aim of this study is to examine the agreement of the assessment of cancer patients quality of life at home and their nurses who took care of them. In order to achieve this purpose they were examined: (a) the agreement of the assessment of quality of life with the different dimensions of multidimensional meaning of quality of life, (b) if the difference of the assessment about the patients quality of life ,between patients and nurses, is related to the demographic characteristics of the patients and their nurses and the clinical characteristics of the patients. Sample and Method. The heterogeneous sample consisted of 150 oncology patients (61 males and 89 females) and their mean age was 71.5+ 12.5 years. All patients received home health care nursing by the two public anticancer hospitals in Attica, which can afford home health care units in their services. The nurses’ sample consists of 5 female nurses, who had made home health care visits during the period of the study. Patients and nurses filled the two questionnaires themselves. The first questionnaire is the EORTC QLQ C-30 (version 3.0), which assesses the patients’ quality of life. The second consists of an amount of questions related to care. All the questions in the nurses’ questionnaires were in the third person, in order to assess the patients’ situation. Results. The main findings of this study are the following four: First, it has been found that there is an almost excellent agreement (ICC=0, 87) between the patients’ and nurses’ assessments of the total score of patients’ quality of life, while the agreement on the other dimensions of quality of life varies from moderate to excellent. It was also found that the agreement of the total score of quality of life depends positively and statistically significant on the communicationexchange of information, the nurses’ training and negatively on the frequency of visits. Second, data shows a general tendency of nurses to underestimate, to a small extent, the patients’ functions and symptoms, in eleven out of fifteen dimensions of quality of life, which have been assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. The underestimation of the total score of the patients’ quality of life by their nurses has been found to correlate statistically with the patients’ physical functioning, namely if a patient is confined to bed or is active. Third, the total score of the patients’ quality of life was found to be statistically influenced, only by the patients’ characteristics. Specifically the complete disability, the person who is involved in their care, the previous experience of the illness the positive attitude to life, the frequency of visits and the exchange of information between patient and nurse. Fourth, the analysis of the questions related to care showed that the taking of opioids and by extension pain, increase the rate of disagreement between patients and nurses regarding relief of insomnia suffering, emotional communication with the family, as well as satisfaction of home health care services. The presence of children increases the rates of agreement between patients and nurses, regarding how well the patient characterizes his state. Conclusions. Home health care nurses seem to assess the quality of life of cancer patients cared at home with relevant accuracy. The results of this study indicate the ways through which nurses interventions could improve the patients’ quality of life. The improvement of communication, the encouragement for self-sufficiency, the cultivation of a positive way of thinking and the presence of a supporting family environment can improve patients’ well-being and satisfaction

Risser patient satisfaction scale: a validation study in Greek cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The current healthcare climate is characterized by a constant battle for the provision of quality care with limited resources and with patient satisfaction receiving increased attention, there is a need for reliable and valid assessment measures. This study describes the adaptation, testing and validation of the Risser Patient satisfaction Scale in an oncology care setting in Greece. The rationale for this study lies in the scarcity of such measures in the Greek language.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a test retest validation study in Greece. Data were collected from 298 hospitalized cancer patients. The validation methodology included the assessment of the item internal consistency, using the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The test-retest reliability was tested by the Kappa correlation coefficient<b>.</b></p> <p>Results</p> <p>The scale demonstrated very good psychometric properties. The internal consistency of the instrument was good, Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.78 (p<0.001) and Kappa coefficient for reproducibility was found to be K=0.89 (95% CI: 0.83-0.91 p<0.0001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings demonstrated strong agreement of the scale, suggesting that the Greek version offers substantial reliability. This study provides a valid and reliable tool to assess patient satisfaction in oncology settings. Means to monitor patient satisfaction, a key aspect of the policy agenda for quality care remain important for nurse leaders to develop better care in oncology settings.</p

Construction and validation of the quality of oncology nursing care scale (QONCS)

Background: There is scarcity of questionnaires specifically on the quality of the nursing care provided to patients diagnosed with cancer. The available questionnaires have been developed without attributing a holistic approach to the care provided with important patient's needs remaining without assessment. The main aim was to develop a self-administered cancer specific questionnaire exploring patients' views on quality nursing care provided in oncology settings. Methods: The development of the scale proceeded through three phases. As part of the first development phase areas of concern and items of interest were identified through a literature review. The second phase included a pilot study of the QONCS and a subsequent validation phase through a multicentre study in 3 hospitals, 4 departments and 418 patients diagnosed with cancer and receiving care as inpatients. The study was designed to select items, identify dimensions, measure reliability, content and construct validity. Results: The QONCS consisted of 34 items. A factorial analysis grouped the items into five categories that define quality nursing care: a) Being supported and confirmed, b) Spiritual caring c) Sense of belonging, d) Being valued and e) Being respected. Cronbach's alpha was 0.95 for the entire questionnaire. The factor solution explained 68.53% of the variance. Conclusions: QONCS appears to measure with adequate reliability and validity the attributes of quality nursing care within the oncological settings and to patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses and at different phases of the cancer trajectory. The instrument is quick to disseminate and easy to complete, making it a suitable instrument for nursing professionals to evaluate patients' self-perceived quality of nursing care as a mean to promote the quality of the care provided in oncological settings

Psychometric Properties of the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey: A Cross-Sectional Study in Greek and Cypriot Cancer Care Settings

Background and Purpose: Ethical climate provides the context in which ethical behavior and decision-making occur. To test the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey (HECS) in cancer care settings. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with 235 cancer nurses. Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were examined. Reliability was investigated with Cronbach's coefficient a. Results: Cronbach's α was 0.86 for the HECS total and ranged from 0.71 to 0.85 for the five subscales. PCA revealed that five components accounted for 61.09% of the variance which were comparable to those produced in the original validation study. The CFA with the five factors identified, produced a model with a good fit. Conclusion: The Greek version of the HECS is valid and reliable for use within the cancer care context

Changes in unmet care needs, social support and distress from initial diagnosis to post-surgery in patients with gynecological cancer: A longitudinal study

This study aimed to explore the changes in unmet care needs, perceived social support, and levels of distress experienced by newly diagnosed Greek patients with gynecological cancer during the phase after diagnosis and before surgical treatment (T0), and 4 months after surgical treatment at the first postoperative follow-up visit (T1)