Annual Nursing Congress: The Art of Care

Biography

Biography: Gul Cankaya

Abstract

Cancer is an important cause of mortality in all ages in population and is categorized as  a chronic disease that is treatable in many situations, especially when diagnosed earliar. World Health Organization declared that (WHO, 2009): “Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, and maintain health and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider”. Selfmanagement, however, outlines an interactive process where individual responses and behaviour focusing at managing physical and psychosocial consequences of symptoms and treatment. It has been reported that self care by patients diagnosed as cancer improves quality of life, symptom management, and patient satisfaction. Nurses are the members of treatment team against cancer. They  have an important role during diagnosis, treatment, and caring. The patients feel  better, physiologically and psychologically, when the symptoms  managed effectively. Main symptoms are Fatigue,  Eating problems,   Nausea,    Fever,   Respiratory problems,  Pain,   Numbness in fingers and/or toes ,  Bleeding,  Hair loss,  Skin changes,  Constipation, decreased  interest in sexual activity. We have to build up spesific self care programmes for each spesific cancer , because symptoms differ widely between them. Breast cancer and prostate cancer will need much different self care programmes not because of the systems involving but the gender , age group matters.