Seminars in Oncology Nursing RSS feed: Current Issue. Seminars in Oncology Nursing is a quarterly journal for the dissemination of knowledge in the complex field of cancer nursing. The Journal contains topical reviews carefully prepared by selected experts. Each seminar will focus on a specific theme or subject with the aim of comprehensive coverage. Seminars in Oncology Nursing is included in Index Medicus, CINAHL and is recommended for purchase in the 2002 Brandon-Hill study, Selected List of Nursing Books and Journals. 2009 Topics , Volume 25, Issues 1-4 February Gastrointestinal Cancer May Bone Marrow Transplant August Head and Neck Cancer November Cancer Care in Vulnerable Populations Margaret Barton-Burke and Gloria Juarezhttp://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Seminars in Oncology Nursing0749-2081261February 2010 © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001089/abstract?rss=yesIN THE past 20 years we have witnessed a remarkable transition in oncology to a dual focus on quality of life (QOL) in addition to length of life. Nurse clinicians and nurse scientists have been among the front-runners in promoting QOL as a key concept for evaluating the impact of health care. This concept is uniquely suited for nursing, giving us the means to convey what we strive for in our care; to explain why care for the whole patient matters. In 1990 Seminars in Oncology Nursing published a groundbreaking issue focusing on the importance of QOL in cancer care. Since then, there has been exponential growth in the sophistication in the field of QOL, as well as an overwhelming number of published reports. This issue of Seminars provides an examination of the tremendous progress in QOL science in the past 20 years, as well as novel innovations that lead us into the future.IntroductionCarol Estwing Ferrans, Claudette Varricchio10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.001Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-011http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001090/abstract?rss=yesObjective: To provide practical guidance for the selection and use of quality-of-life (QOL) instruments for research and clinical practice.Data Sources: Published articles, books, and web resources.Conclusion: Even among instruments designed specifically to measure QOIL, there are vast differences in what they actually measure. The choice of instrument can make the difference between whether real changes in QOL are captured or not.Implications for Nursing Practice: QOL outcomes are ideal for determining the efficacy and impact of cancer care. Incorporating QOL into standard clinical practice holds great promise for improving communication with health care providers, with a resultant improvement in patient outcomes.Advances in Measuring Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Cancer CareCarol Estwing Ferrans10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.002Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-0211http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001107/abstract?rss=yesObjectives: To provide information about the value of quality of life (QOL) assessments to improve clinical care.Data Sources: Published articles, web resources, clinical practice.Conclusion: Clinical assessment of QOL can lead to improved patient outcomes and provide a means of evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.Implications for Nursing Practice: QOL assessment provides nurses with a more holistic view of the patient and improves communication between the patient and health care providers.Quality of Life Assessments in Clinical PracticeClaudette G. Varricchio, Carol Estwing Ferrans10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.003Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-01217http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001119/abstract?rss=yesObjectives: To describe the notable progress in conceptualizing, defining, and measuring quality of life (QOL) in children and adolescents with cancer during the past two decades.Data Sources: Published articles.Conclusion: QOL in children and adolescents with cancer has been defined and conceptual frameworks developed; multiple generic and cancer-specific instruments have been validated for use in this patient population. Advances include a shift to patient reports as the preferred source of QOL ratings, and use of multiple data collection points in the same study to better document the trajectory of QOL in children and adolescents with cancer.Implications for Nursing Practice: This progress makes possible the study of interventions designed to improve the QOL of these young patients during and following treatment.Progress in Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents With CancerPamela S. Hinds10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.004Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-01825http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001120/abstract?rss=yesObjectives: To provide an overview of the developments in promoting quality of life (QOL) at the end of life (EOL) in oncology settings, to describe implications for clinical care for cancer patients at the EOL, and to address the continuing challenges for assessing QOL at the EOL.Data Sources: Published articles, clinical guidelines, and web resources.Conclusion: QOL continues to be an important aspect of patient care at the EOL. Nursing has made substantial contributions to the literature on QOL at the EOL through instrument development, clinical care priorities, and research.Implications for Nursing Practice: Oncology nurses practicing in clinical and research settings must be aware of the importance of QOL assessment for terminally ill cancer patients, be informed about the process of selecting relevant QOL measures for the EOL, and apply current knowledge to quality cancer care.Advances in Quality of Life at the End of LifeMarcia Grant, Virginia Sun10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.005Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-02635http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001132/abstract?rss=yesObjectives: To discuss the unique quality-of-life (QOL) issues for cancer survivors and provide guidance for the selection of measures to assess them.Data Sources: Literature review, PubMed search, electronic data, websites.Conclusion: QOL is a vital outcome for cancer survivors. QOL measurement of the unique needs of cancer survivors has increased over the past 20 years.Implications for Nursing Practice: Oncology nurses can move QOL science in cancer survivorship forward by using research findings to implement evidence-based practice.Quality of Life in Cancer Survivorship: 20 Years LaterKaren Meneses, Rachel Benz10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.006Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-03646http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001144/abstract?rss=yesObjectives: To discuss recent technological advances in quality of life (QOL) data collection and guidance for use in research and clinical practice. The use of telephone-, computer-, and web/internet-based technologies to collect QOL data, reliability and validity issues, and cost will be discussed, along with the potential pitfalls associated with these technologies.Data Sources: Health care literature and web resources.Conclusion: Technology has provided researchers and clinicians with an opportunity to collect QOL data from patients that were previously not accessible. Most technologies offer a variety of options, such as language choice, formatting options for the delivery of questions, and data management services. Choosing the appropriate technology for use in research and/or clinical practice primarily depends on the purpose for QOL data collection.Implications for Nursing Practice: Technology is changing the way nurses assess QOL in patients with cancer and provide care. As stakeholders in the health care delivery system and patient advocates, nurses must be intimately involved in the evaluation and use of new technologies that impact QOL and/or the delivery of care.Technology and Quality of Life OutcomesEileen Danaher Hacker10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.007Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-04758http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001156/abstract?rss=yesObjective: To clarify the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and culture.Data Source: Journal articles, proceedings, and clinical experience.Conclusion: QOL is a subjective, multidimensional experience of well-being that is culturally constructed as individuals seek safety and security, a sense of integrity and meaning in life, and a sense of belonging in one's social network.Implications for Nursing Practice: In a society where health disparities between diverse groups are known to exist, it is incumbent upon nurses to consider the impact of ethnicity/culture on the health care they deliver and on the QOL of their patients.Health-Related Quality of Life and CultureMarjorie Kagawa-Singer, Geraldine V. Padilla, Kimlin Ashing-Giwa10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.008Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-05967http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001168/abstract?rss=yesObjective: To highlight health related quality of life (HRQOL) measures and published outcomes in phase III clinical trials in the four major cancers: breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung.Data Sources: Peer-reviewed journals, textbooks, and abstracts published between 1990 and 2009.Conclusion: Over the past 20 years there has been an upsurge in the number and types of HRQOL measures used in phase III cancer treatment trials. Results of trials reported after 2001 indicate a significant increase in specific treatment or disease-related symptom measures in lieu of or as companions to global HRQOL measures. Currently, open NCI-supported trials are incorporating a large number of targeted treatment- and/or disease-related measures.Implications for Nursing Practice: Clinicians can use these data to help patients better understand the spectrum and severity of symptomatic toxicities they will experience with cancer treatment.Health Related Quality of Life in NCI-Sponsored Cancer Treatment TrialsAnn M. O'Mara, Andrea M. Denicoff10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.009Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-06878http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001211/abstract?rss=yesTable of Contents10.1016/S0749-2081(09)00121-1Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-0FrontmatterA5A5http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001193/abstract?rss=yesMasthead10.1016/S0749-2081(09)00119-3Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-0FrontmatterA6A6http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS074920810900120X/abstract?rss=yesEditorial Board10.1016/S0749-2081(09)00120-XSeminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-0FrontmatterA7A7http://www.seminarsoncologynursing.com/article/PIIS0749208109001223/abstract?rss=yesPublished Issues10.1016/S0749-2081(09)00122-3Seminars in Oncology Nursing 26, 1 (2010)2010-02-01Seminars in Oncology Nursing2010-02-01261S0749-2081(09)X0007-0FrontmatterA8A8