Symptom-Level Description of Nursing Perceptions About Unwarranted Clinical Variation, Inequality in Access to Cancer Services, Specific-Symptom Knowledge: An Italian Web-Based Survey.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to describe the cancer nurses' views regarding the relevance of cancer symptom-specific knowledge, unwarranted clinical variation, and inequities in access to cancer services. Describing how nurses perceive these aspects could help identify research priorities and a practical framework to prioritize clinical practice guidelines.


DATA SOURCES
A web-based survey was performed using a convenience sample of 810 nurses employed in cancer settings and cross-sectional data collection. The survey adopted a previously validated questionnaire investigating 14 symptoms.


CONCLUSION
This study revealed which cancer symptoms require priority attention to define evidence-grounded guidance for decreasing unwarranted clinical variation and inequities in access to cancer services. Future multiprofessional and multinational studies are recommended to provide an in-depth description of the investigated phenomena.


IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE
Participants reported higher mean scores in pain-specific knowledge than other symptoms. Social functioning alterations and psychological disorders seem to be highly susceptible to unwarranted clinical variation and inequities in access to cancer services. This information could drive tailored interventions to improve nursing practice.
['Belloni|Silvia|S|', 'Arrigoni|Cristina|C|', 'Dellafiore|Federica|F|', 'Biagioli|Valentina|V|', 'Piredda|Alessio|A|', 'Caruso|Rosario|R|']
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D006801:Humans D020407:Internet D007558:Italy D009369:Neoplasms D009859:Oncology Nursing D010465:Perception D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Perception Evidence-based practice Oncology nursing Precision health Symptoms science management