Advances in how clinical nurses can evaluate and improve quality of life for individuals with cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To describe advances in the ways that clinical nurses understand, assess, and work to improve quality of life (QOL) for individuals with cancer since the 1995 Oncology Nursing Society's State-of-the-Knowledge Conference on QOL.


METHODS
Published research and clinical articles.


RESULTS
The number of QOL assessment tools and methods for understanding QOL results has increased. However, scant literature has focused on how clinical oncology nurses evaluate QOL and the methods they use to affect QOL for individuals with cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on the nurse-patient relationship, clinical nurses are able to assess QOL in individuals with cancer and intervene appropriately to improve QOL.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical nurses can involve individuals with cancer in rating their QOL to assist in providing high-quality care that is directed at positively affecting QOL.
King
Cynthia R
CR
Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. cking@wfubmc.edu
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile