Cost analyses of a web-based behavioral intervention to enhance fruit and vegetable consumption

Background  

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate costs associated with the online intervention trial, Making Effective Nutritional Choices for Cancer Prevention (MENU), and to connect the findings to the study outcomes.     

Nursing Workforce Issues: Strategically Positioning Nurses to Facilitate Cancer Prevention and Control

The number of cancer survivors is increasing, but at a staggering cost. These costs can be reduced or contained by preventing cancer and its recurrence. Nurses play a critical role in cancer prevention, a role that will rapidly expand as the number of oncology specialists decreases. It is crucial, therefore, that nurses increase their involvement in cancer prevention. To prepare nurses for this larger role, educational programs in cancer prevention and detection must be instituted for all nurses, particularly those in rural and medically underserved areas. The Professional Education for Prevention and Early Detection program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed two nurse education programs: outreach programs for nurses involved in the community and in-house programs for those in clinical practice. These approaches have proven to be enormously effective in developing the nursing workforce as agents of cancer prevention.     

Important Considerations for Recruiting Women to Cancer Genetics Studies in Puerto Rico

A goal of the Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership between the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Florida is to provide cross-cultural training in cancer research. This is achieved through a collaborative summer exchange program, which provides US students with an opportunity to conduct research in Puerto Rico. As part of this program, students recruited participants and collected data for a study to enhance the understanding of sociocultural factors among Puerto Rican women regarding genetic testing for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. Limited studies have examined cancer genetics issues among Latinos, particularly those specific to the various Latino subgroups, such as Puerto Ricans. As a result of the student training experience, culturally appropriate strategies for the recruitment of women in Puerto Rico have been identified. These recommendations can inform the design of cancer research projects and interventions targeting the Puerto Rican population.     

The Enduring Need for the Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Training Program

Nurses play a pivotal role in pain management but academic nursing curricula remain lacking in basic pain management principles. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of the City of Hope Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Training Course on nursing pain management practice. An online survey, comparing RNs’ pre- and post-training practice, assessed the long-term impact of the course on content application and dissemination. Participants with 1–9 years post-course attendance (2002–2010) were invited to complete a brief survey (N = 783). Respondents (N = 180; 23%) reported significant improvements in their comfort with basic opioid administration (p < .001). Relaxation was the most common non-drug intervention used by respondents. Pain assessment content was most frequently applied to practice (97%). Most respondents (89%) disseminated course content to others within their own institutions. PRN-trained nurses expressed improved confidence in pain management and attributed course content to the improvement in their practice behavior.     

Exploration of Teachers' Metaphorical Images of Anger: Helping Teachers Support Students

Anger has become a serious problem in today's schools. As children and youth carry their anger into the classrooms and onto the playing fields, educators experience increasing levels of stress, tension, helplessness, frustration and, at times, fear. Attempts to address this problem generally require introducing anger management programs into schools. This paper describes a study that explored the use of metaphor as a strategy for enhancing teachers' capacity to work with students as they express and learn to manage their anger. The participants reported that they found the process highly effective for themselves and, very frequently, for their students. Metaphors were used as an avenue for detachment which provided a clarity and lead to alternatives previously thought not to exist. Metaphors were also utilized by the educators as a means of reflecting on themselves as well as on their students, and in one case, as a communicative device. This process helped to transform the educators' relationships to anger and to their angry students.