Modern treatments for cancer are resulting in cancer patients living longer with the risk of the disease returning at a later stage. Many patients who experience a recurrence blame themselves (Mahon et al., 1990), while those in remission live with the constant fear that the cancer may return. Although fear of recurrence is recognised in the literature, few researchers have focused on this aspect as a precursor to psychological distress. This paper reviews the literature about fear of recurrence and its measurement. Leventhal's Self Regulation Model of Illness is presented to help understand patients' reactions to cancer and fears for the future. The authors propose a formulation for fear of recurrence and examples of interventions that are indicated. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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This study was requested to investigate the relative strengths of two different ward arrangements. Both wards were psychiatric assessment wards for people over the age of 65 and both were mixed sex wards. The major focus was to examine if the separation of cognitively impaired (CI) and functional clients on an elderly assessment ward had benefits in terms of client and staff satisfaction. The study involved 192 hours of observation, following four clients on each ward for 24‐hours. Results indicate that the split ward and the mixed ward differ qualitatively and that in terms of user and staff satisfaction the split model is preferable. Implications for service development and future research are also discussed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The issue of fear of cancer recurrence in patients is poorly understood despite being acknowledged as important by nurses. Patients report feeling more emotional distress when a recurrence of their cancer recurs than at initial diagnosis. Many patients think that they have overcome the cancer and are bitterly disappointed when a recurrence is diagnosed. Courage is a theme that is present in many conversations with relatives and friends of cancer patients. This may inhibit the patient's need to express his/her distress and disappointment about the recurrence. If the patient's feelings cannot be expressed with the family, the nursing and medical staff need to work with the patient to allow him/her to explore these areas. This review paper draws together some significant findings that will assist oncology nurses when caring for patients with cancer.