Author(s)

Mari Ikeda^1*, Hisako Kanai², Misato Osaka², Nao Tamai³, Yukie Takemura⁴, Hiromi Sanada³

¹Department of Nursing Administration, School of Nursing, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
²Breast Center/Oncology Center, St. Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
³Department of Gerontological Nursing/Wound Care Management, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴Department of Nursing Administration, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Aims: Research the process of organizational change to understand how interventions such as appearance care can be integrated into daily practice. Background: Typical treatment of breast cancer is surgery, often followed by chemotherapy. Associated aesthetic ramifications, including hair loss, frequently cause patient distress. Methods: We conducted face-to-face semi-structured hour-long recorded interviews with three nurses. We then analyzed the developmental process according to the core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice using the thematic content analysis. Results: Nurses worked with interdisciplinary team members with mutual respect and shared values such as concern for patients’ quality of life. Nurses used knowledge of appearance-related side effects combined with beautician-provided coping skills. Intervention involved responsible communication with other health professionals and patients in a team approach. Nurses promoted the developmental process and became program facilitators. Conclusion: This group-intervention program, facilitated by nurses, was integrated into daily practice. Implications for nursing management: Research partnerships between academics, clinical nurses, nurse managers, and beauticians can improve the integration of interventions in routine practice and increase awareness of patients’ needs.

Breast Cancer, Chemotherapy, Group Intervention, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, Quality of Life

Ikeda, M. , Kanai, H. , Osaka, M. , Tamai, N. , Takemura, Y. and Sanada, H. (2020) Implementing Appearance-Care Research for Breast Cancer Patient into Routine Clinical Practice. Open Journal of Nursing, 10, 308-319. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2020.103021.