Introduction
The purpose of this study was to invite girls who participated in a gender-specific, sexual risk-reduction intervention to describe their experiences and identify program characteristics most or least beneficial to their involvement.
Method
Semi-structured interviews were completed with 26 African American, low income girls ages 15–19 who had participated in a sexual risk reduction intervention as part of a randomized controlled trial. The girls were interviewed after completing a 12-month post-intervention survey. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed for categories.
Results
Analyses of the interview data identified six categories: 1) reasons for participating, 2) strategies for maintaining behavior changes, 3) interacting with others, 4) communicating with mothers, 5) disseminating information to friends and family, and 6) disseminating information to the males in the community.
Implications and Conclusions
Many of the girls participating in the theory-based behavior change intervention reported selecting from a “menu” of strategies learned through the intervention to reduce their sexual risk. Having the opportunity to discuss sexual health with peers and trained facilitators, particularly in an all-female environment, was cited as a positive benefit. Community health organizations and clinicians who care for adolescent girls can adapt many aspects of this intervention to help reduce their sexual risk.
Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy is a painful and debilitating adverse effect of certain chemotherapy drugs. There have not been any patient-centered, easily accessible Web-based interventions to assist with self-management of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. The aims of this study were to evaluate usability and acceptability and to estimate an effect size of a Web-based intervention for assessing and managing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. Participants (N = 14) were instructed to complete the Creativity, Optimism, Planning, and Expert Information for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy program and provide verbal responses to the program. Participants completed the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool and Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire. Iterative changes were made to the COPE-CIPN. Participants were asked to provide feedback on the revised COPE-CIPN, repeat the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool, and evaluate acceptability using the Acceptability e-Scale. The COPE-CIPN demonstrated high usability (mean, 1.98 [SD, 1.12]) and acceptability (mean, 4.40 [SD, 0.52]). Comments indicated that the interface was easy to use, and the information was helpful. While neuropathy symptoms continued to increase in this group of patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy, there was a decrease in mean level of interference with activities from 53.71 to 39.29 over 3 to 4 months, which indicated a moderate effect (d = 0.39) size. The COPE-CIPN may be a useful intervention to support self-management of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
Nurses in this study struggled with issues of beneficence and nonmaleficence and were not aware of scientific evidence that guides methadone management of pregnant women.
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