Cancer Nursing Care in Context

9780632039982

0632039981

The need to improve cancer services is widely recognized. Cancer nurses are increasingly being acknowledged as key players in enhancing care and treatment for people with cancer. However, there is also an acknowledgement of the growing need for greater numbers of nurses with the confidence and skills to meet the demands of this intensely challenging area of health care. Cancer Nursing: Care in Context draws upon a unique range of sources from multidisciplinary contributors. These include personal accounts from people with cancer and those caring for them, research evidence, and the views and experiences of experts working in the field. Cancer and cancer care are revealed from a number of perspectives, both conventional and unconventional. This book offers an accessible introduction to the disease and its treatment, as well as more challenging original material relating to the therapeutic and caring practice. The book is divided into 5 sections. In Part 1, cancer is set in context: the concept of cancer discourses, and the social meaning of cancer and cancer care are introduced and explored. Part 2 deals with the cancer experience from the perspective of the person who is ill, as well as family members and health professionals. Part 3 offers detailed insight into cancer treatment. Part 4 explores the nursing management problems relating to cancer. Finally, Part 5 identifies and reviews a number of priorities in cancer care, including cancer in ethnic communities, children and adolescents with cancer, older people, health policy and research. Key features: Personal accounts of the experience of cancer and its treatments Care strategies Research reviews Overviews by acknowledged experts A commitment to therapeutic nursing A comprehensive source of information for nurses working in cancer care