Catherine Oakley

The development of the Chemotherapy Symptom Assessment Scale (C-SAS): a scale for the routine clinical assessment of the symptom experiences of patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy

The management of symptoms experienced by patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy influences quality of life during treatment. Symptom management may be improved through a structured approach to symptom assessment. This paper describes the development of the Chemotherapy Symptom Assessment Scale (C-SAS), a 24-item scale designed for the routine assessment of symptoms experienced by patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. The scale development process focused both upon the psychometric properties and the clinical usefulness of the scale. Patients and health professionals played a significant role in item selection and scale design in order to maximise the clinical utility of the C-SAS.

Avoidant conversations about death by clinicians’ causes delays in reporting of neutropenic sepsis: grounded theory study.

Evidence suggests that patients delay reporting symptoms of neutropenic sepsis (NS) despite the risk to their life. This study aimed to elicit factors that contribute to delayed patient reporting of NS symptoms.

A longitudinal qualitative interview study tounderstand need for support in family members ofpeople having chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation reports that cancer mortality rates in developing African countries are rising because late diagnosis limits treatment options. In the UK there is evidence of inequalities in the delivery of cancer services to black and minority ethnic groups contributing to deaths from late diagnoses. UK studies of the African population are limited and focus on the African Caribbean community. Hence, UK cancer prevention strategies may not account for the African population’s cultural beliefs or attitudes towards cancer; this may affect awareness of the signs and symptoms. AIM: To identify evidence-based information about African immigrants’ views regarding cancer. METHODS: Six databases were searched: Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and Soc Index. The literature search was extended to include grey literature and a search of reference lists of relevant studies. Publications not written in English were excluded. RESULTS: Six qualitative, nine quantitative, and one mixed method study were identified; all except two were conducted in the USA. The majority indicated that African people had low levels of knowledge about cancer risk factors, signs and symptoms. Misconceptions, cultural and religious belief and fear appear to influence African people’s views towards cancer; this may affects their behaviour in terms of seeking treatment. CONCLUSION: This review demonstrates a need for UK based studies to determine the relevance of review findings towards, and fill the gaps in knowledge about, the growing UK based African population.