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In Turkey, the high incidences of stomach and oesophageal cancers in East and high incidence of stomach cancer in Northeast regions are remarkable. This study was conducted to identify homecare needs of patients with stomach cancer and their caregivers and the effect of family supportive nursing care on the quality of life of patients and families. The patient and his/her caregiver were assessed with respect to their daily life activities and NANDA was used for the identified nursing diagnoses, NIC for the appropriate interventions and NOC for assessment of the results. This study was conducted in a pre‐test, post‐test, controlled trial model to identify. The sample of the investigation consisted of 72 patients and 72 caregivers. As a data‐collecting instrument, the Quality of Life Scale and Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer were used. The overall quality of life, global health status and emotional and cognitive functions of the patients in the experimental group improved after the interventions. The overall quality of life and global health status was found to be poorer in the control group patients at post‐test as compared to pre‐test and their physical, role and social functions deteriorated. The caregivers’ quality of life in the control group was affected more negatively with respect to the “Disruption in Daily Life” subscale as compared to pre‐test values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insomnia, poor sleep quality and short sleep durations are the most common problems seen in cancer patients. More studies are needed about sleep disorders in cancer patients. In our study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders and the impact of these problems on the quality of life in cancer patients. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( PSQI) was given to a total of 314 patients. The psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of PSQI in cancer patients revealed that 127 (40.4%) patients had global PSQI scores >5, indicating poor sleep quality. There was no statistically significant relationship between PSQI scores and sexuality, marital status, cancer stage and chemotherapy type ( P > 0.05); while the patients with bone and visceral metastasis had much lower PSQI scores ( P = 0.006). Patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance scores of 3 or more had also significantly lower PSQI scores ( P = 0.02). In conclusion, PSQI questionnaire may be used to evaluate the sleep disorders in cancer patients. Consistent use of multi-item measures such as PSQI with established reliability and validity would improve our understanding of difficulties experienced by cancer patients with chronic insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and to examine the differences between patients who used CAM and those who did not among those who were being treated in oncology clinics in the northern and southern regions of Turkey. In order to collect the relevant data, 288 outpatients receiving chemotherapy were selected to participate in the study., Materials and Methods: The research was designed as a descriptive, relational and cross-sectional study. Data was collected by the researchers using a form which had already been developed in the literature., Results: As a result of our study, we found that 33.2% of the patients had stage 4 cancer and 22.9% of them had respiratory system cancer. The most commonly used form of CAM was herbal preparations, which were used by 48.4% and around 31 species of herbs were employed. 59.1% of the patients used CAM to support their conventional treatment. The prevalence of the CAM usage was determined as 32.3%., Conclusion: Even though a wide range of different forms of CAM are currently used by oncology patients in the northern and southern regions of Turkey, further cooperation with health professionals is needed to obtain better information about both CAM usage and medical treatment. Better informing patients about how best to use CAM in conjunction with medical treatment is also crucial., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Social support, acknowledged as a protective factor against diseases, produces positive results in the prognosis of cancer patients., Objective: There is no relevant studies on perceived social support and factors related to Turkish cancer patients. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the demographic characteristics that affect the perceived social support in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Turkey., Patients and Methods: This study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample included 423 adult cancer patients who admitted to the Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit of three hospitals in Turkey between March 2014 and August 2014. The data were collected through Demographic Characteristics Form and Cancer-Specific Social Support Scale (CPSSS)., Results: Patients were between 19 and 85 years of age with a mean 51.75 years. Almost half of them (40.7%) were primary school graduates, 53.2% were female, 84.6% were married and 85.8% had children. It was found that the patients generally received a high score (127.86 ± 17.44) from the CPSSS scale. The highest scores were obtained on the Confidence Support sub dimension. It was revealed that women and married patients needed more confidence support and general social support (P < 0.05). Social support perceived by primary school graduates was statistically significant to a great extent (P < 0.05). In spite of the difference between the patients with metastasis and their perceived social support grade averages (P > 0.05), it was seen that patients with multiple children utilized more confidence support and general social support in social support reception (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The study showed that study participants received a high amount of social support. Age, gender, marital status, number of children, and educational status were determined to affect perceived social support. It is recommended to support the patients who do not receive sufficient social., Competing Interests: None