Four members of the faculty of the UCLA School of Nursing will be presenting important research findings at the annual research conference of the Oncology Nursing Society, being held this week in Los Angeles.

"Critically important clinical research is taking place at nursing schools around the country, and UCLA is proud to be one of the leaders in this effort," said Dr. Ann Williams, associate dean for research. "These combined efforts are helping to transform the nursing profession in ways that will make immeasurable contributions to the nation's health."

On February 10, Associate Professor Eunice Lee, Ph.D., GNP, will discuss how to increase mammogram use among Korean American women by addressing their beliefs, knowledge, self-efficacy and perceptions of support from their husbands. Lee is also a co-author of a poster presentation at the conference, outlining the use of individual interviews to establish "culturally appropriate belief instruments" for colorectal cancer screenings among Korean Americans.

The next day, February 11, Professor Linda P. Sarna, DNSc, RN, AOCN, FAAN, will present a paper describing differences in nurses' efforts to help smokers quit in California, West Virginia and Indiana. Also that day Marjorie J. Wells, Ph.D., FNP, project director, will present the advantages and limitations of using Web-based surveys for oncology nursing research and the best methods for conducting these surveys.

Assistant Professor Sally Maliski, Ph.D., RN, will have both a poster session and an oral presentation on the perception of risk for prostate cancer by high-risk Latino men. Her work focuses on understanding prostate cancer treatment, disclosure and screening decision situations from the perspectives of Latino men who have made such decisions as well as high-risk brothers and sons of Latino men treated for prostate cancer.

Also at the conference Stella Bialous, DrPh, RN, a collaborator with Dr. Sarna, will present findings about compliance with smoke-free policies in healthcare facilities.

"One of nursing's distinct characteristics is its focus on caring for and improving the quality of life for patients and their family members not just in the hospital but in their homes and their communities as well," said Williams. "The important research that we are presenting at the oncology conference is a good example of this - science aimed at affecting behavior with the goal of improving health outcomes."

For more than six decades the UCLA School of Nursing has been dedicated to enhancing the field of medicine and the nursing profession through research. Today the school is ranked fourth in the nation in National Institute of Health funding, with $10 million in annual research grants.

Source:
UCLA School of Nursing
Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)