Symptoms and Self Management in Low Income African Americans with Advanced Cancer

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究的目的是探索低收入非裔美国成年人患有IV期癌症的症状体验和症状自我管理实践。具体目的是：1)探索低收入非裔美国人晚期癌症患者的症状体验；2)探索低收入非洲裔晚期癌症患者的症状自我管理经验。将使用定性描述性方法来描述患者描述的症状体验，包括对他们的症状的描述、用于管理症状的策略以及他们管理癌症相关症状的任何促进器和障碍。约15名男性和15名女性将参加深入访谈，讨论症状体验和症状自我管理策略。了解和纠正差异已成为许多领先研究机构的优先事项，如国家癌症研究所、国家少数民族健康和健康差异中心、国家护理研究所、国家疾病控制和预防中心、医学研究所、2010年健康人健康与公共服务部以及美国癌症协会。这项研究的意义在于阐述了其中许多组织的倡议。具体地说，本申请的重点涉及NINR战略计划(2006-2010年)四个研究领域中的两个，即提高生活质量和消除健康差距，并涉及第三个领域--临终关怀。 公共卫生相关性：需要描述低收入非裔美国人患癌症的经历，以开始进一步了解和消除美国癌症护理方面的差异。在越来越多的非裔美国人被诊断为晚期癌症，患者被要求在有限的资源下在家管理症状的时候，症状管理方面的文献空白令人担忧。从这项研究中获得的信息将为一个更大的研究计划提供基础，以开发和测试文化上适当的干预措施，以改善这一弱势群体的症状自我管理策略和结果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This purpose of the study is to explore the symptom experience and symptom self- management practices of low-income African American adults with Stage IV cancer. The specific aims are to: 1) explore the symptom experience of low-income African American patients with advanced cancer and 2) explore the symptom self-management experience of low- income African American patients with advanced cancer. A qualitative descriptive approach will be used to describe the symptom experiences as described by patients including a description of their symptoms, strategies used to manage symptoms and any facilitators and barriers to their management of cancer-related symptoms. Approximately 15 men and 15 women will be enrolled in in-depth interviews to discuss symptom experience and symptom self-management strategies. Understanding and correcting disparities has become a priority for many leading research organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine, Healthy People 2010 of Health and Human Services, and the American Cancer Society. The significance of this study addresses the initiatives of many of these organizations. Specifically the focus of this application addresses two of the four areas of research interest of the NINR Strategic Plan (2006-2010), improving quality of life and eliminating health disparities, and has implications for a third area, end-of-life. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The experience of low income African Americans with cancer needs to be described to begin to further understand and eliminate disparities in cancer care in the United States. The gap in the literature in symptom management is worrisome at a time when more African Americans are being diagnosed with advanced cancer and patients are being asked to manage symptoms at home with limited resources. The information gained from this study will provide the groundwork for a larger research program to develop and test culturally appropriate interventions to improve symptom self-management strategies and outcomes in this disadvantaged group.