ABSTRACT• A problem for many cancer survivors is a lack

of education within their survivorship care-plan on self-care strategies that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors which include weight management, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and smoking cessation. These healthy lifestyle behaviors have the potential to significantly reduce morbidity and increase mortality in cancer survivors. The implications of the self-care strategy project are to use the SCP with self-care strategies to promote a healthy life style among cancer survivors. For many the purpose for informed self-care strategies becomes very important as they look forward to the successful completion of therapy. Self-care strategies can be used to improve recovery time following treatment, improve quality of life, and prevent recurrence and secondary primary cancers.

PICOT QUESTIONThis project discusses the effect of self-care strategy education within a survivorship care plan (SCP) compared to no self-care strategy education within a SCP, on improving health resiliency over six months post treatment.

LITERATURE REVIEWA literature review provided important support for self-care strategies provided with the SCP to promote:• Evidence-based practice interventions of

healthy food choices, physical activity, and weight management (3).

• Healthy lifestyle behaviors to promote the potential to significantly reduce morbidity and increase mortality in cancer survivors (1)

• Healthy goals to have a positive impact on health resiliency and the prevention of cancer recurrence (2).

Development of Informed Self-Care Education and Strategies to Improve Cancer

Survivors’ Quality of LifeDiana D Brewer, BSN, RN, MSN Student

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKPender’s Health Promotion Model (HPM) can be applied in context for use and nursing implications, which helps supports health promotion interventions. These interventions are necessary for improving the health of individuals everywhere. Pender believes that people of all ages can benefit from health promotion care, which can be delivered through schools, work places, and health settings. Pender believes that nurses should work toward empowerment for self-care strategies through education and enhancing the patient’s personal development (6).

CONCLUSIONSThe Informed Self-Care Strategy Project explores achievements that may impact the future of SCP and Treatment Summaries within the Intermountain Health-care Oncology Program. The key findings of the project impact the cancer survivor’s knowledge of self-care strategies to improve recovery time following treatment and the patient’s quality of life (1). The major outcomes of the project include deliverable teachings of life style modification, an example of a healthy dietary pattern, walking program recommendations for cancer survivors, an example of how to monitor dietary fat, dietary guideline to healthy eating, and a questionnaire to evaluate self-care strategy effects on lifestyle choices of the cancer survivor

REFERENCES1. Demark-Wahnefried, W., & Jones, L.W. (2008). Promoting a healthy lifestyle

among cancer survivors. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America. 22(2), 319-342. doi:http://doi.org/10.1016/j.hoc.2008.01.012

2. Rock, C. L., Doyle, C., Denmark-Wahnefried, W., Meyerhardt, J., Courneya, K. S., Schwartz, A. L., …Gansler, T. (2012). Nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 62(4), 243-274. doi:10.3322/caac.21142

3. American Society of Clinical Oncology. (2017). ASCO cancer treatment and survivorship care plans. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.net/survivorship/follow-care-after-cancer-treatment/asco-cancer-treatment-and-survivorship-care-plans

4. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) (2017). 2015-2020 Dietary guidelines for Americans: How to build a healthy eating pattern. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/resources/DGA_Healthy-Eating-Pattern.pdf

5. Creative Commons. Survivor Logo 2018. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/. Accessed October 27, 2018.

6. McEwen, M., Wills, E. M. (2014). Overview of selected middle range nursing theories. In Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (Eds.), Theoretical basis for nursing (4th ed.) (pp. 239-258). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer

PROJECT METHODOLOGYThe significance of the informed self-care strategies for cancer survivors will address the effect of self-care strategy education within a SCP on improving health resiliency over a six months post cancer treatment. The components of this project will involve lifestyle modifications to include a prescription for exercise, supporting a healthy weight through an appropriate diet, examples of healthy eating patterns, and explanations regarding how nutrition and diet can increase or decrease cancer risk. This is to support research indicating healthy eating patterns and certain lifestyle modifications can lower cancer risks and recurrence rates while improving the overall health for an individual (4).

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND (5)

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY