title: The role of the breast clinic nurse.
abstract: Women scheduled for breast biopsy procedures experience heightened anxiety about the outcomes of their diagnostic procedures. Perioperative nurses have unique opportunities to provide quality nursing care for patients awaiting breast biopsy procedures and their definitive diagnoses. The prevalence (ie, 50%) of benign breast disease in women of reproductive age and the anxiety related to the threat of breast cancer are important nursing concerns. This article addresses the breast clinic nurse's role in meeting the emotional and informational needs of women scheduled for breast biopsy procedures. The human response to illness (HRI) model is used as a framework for understanding the phenomenon of anxiety within this context. The HRI model provides a basis for delivering quality nursing care through the development of an enhanced role for the breast clinic nurse.
authors.affiliation: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Deane
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001007:Anxiety; D001706:Biopsy / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation