The nursing process is an imperative progression in the healthcare profession and functions mainly as a systematic guide to provide patient-centered care using five paramount steps. The steps are an assessment of the patients, diagnosis, planning, implementation of the care process, and evaluation in order to improve the quality of health of the patient. Assessment is the first and the most critical process and involves the use of essential skills of thinking, both subjective and objective. Diagnosis consists of the use of clinical judgment, which assists in the following two steps, planning and implementation of patient-centered care (Toney-Butler & Thayer, 2019) . The goals and the outcomes of the consideration are processed in the planning process, and the impact on the patient is evaluated. The goals are expected to be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented). Implementation involves the action of doing and conducting the actual interventions as they have been outlined. The last step is evaluation and consists of the reassessment to ensure the desired outcome has been achieved (Toney-Butler & Thayer, 2019) . The nursing process is imperative in patients, and particularly those suffering from chronic diseases like cancer, as they require attention from caregivers at any given time. As such, it is essential to evaluate the process in respect to the utilization of patients who have cancer.
Cancer Diagnosis and Staging
Cancer Diagnosis
Cancer is a devastating health condition and can be characterized by different symptoms. Most of the symptoms are not caused by cancer itself but slightly different benign tumors and other complications. It is, therefore, advisable for a person to visit a physician whenever they have symptoms running for weeks. If a person has different difficulties that might be suggesting cancer, the doctor will ensure that the patient goes through various tests and screening to ensure the symptoms are a cause for the disease. Once the doctor determines that the patient has cancer, there are other sets of procedures that the doctor would require the patient to undergo with the aim of understanding the stage of the disease.
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Some of the suggestive symptoms that a person might be suffering from include night sweats, abnormal bumps, and even unexplained gain or loss of body weight. As such, it is imperative to visit the doctor to determine whether the symptoms are a result of cancer or any other health condition. The doctor would need to understand the cancer prognosis, which would require to describe the extent of disease and also comprehend the chances of survival.
Different lab tests are conducted to understand the extent of cancer. They include tests on blood, urine, and other blood fluids, which help understand the amount of certain substances in the body. The contents include tumor makers produced by body tissues or cancer cells in response to developing cancer. Imaging tests can also be utilized and include CT Scan, MRI, Nuclear Scan, Bone Scan, PET scan, Ultrasound, and X-rays. However, most of the time, doctors use a biopsy to diagnose cancer. The process involves the removal of a sample tissue from the body (National Cancer Institute, 2019) . Through several procedures, a pathologist is able to understand essential details concerning cancer and helps decide the treatment options.
Cancer Staging
Cancer staging involves the extent of cancer. The scope includes factors like how large the tumor might be, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. Knowing the stage can help the physician understand the best ways to treat cancer, understand the seriousness of the condition and the chances for survival, and identify the clinical trials that can be paramount to the treatment process. Cancer is always referred to as the stage it was given during diagnosis even when it gets worse or spread. As such, new information regarding cancer can be added to the stage without changing the stage name, also if it spreads to other parts of the body.
Treatment and Complication of Cancer
Many complications can be associated with cancer and cancer development in a person. The complications include:
Fatigue- the complexity can have multiple causes for people who have cancer, but it can be managed. Fatigue is often associated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment but usually temporary (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018) .
Nausea- certain types of cancer can be associated with nausea. In many cases, doctors are able to determine whether the mode of treatment can cause cancer. The complication is easily managed by several treatment procedures (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018) .
Weight loss- cancer and the subsequent treatment procedures are known to cause weight loss. Cancer is known to deprive the surrounding cells of their nutrients. The condition is not affected by how many calories a person would eat or the type of food being taken; it is hard to handle and treat. Using artificial nutrients or tubes, supplying food to the veins does not help avoid weight loss (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018) .
Some of the side effects that can be associated with cancer treatment include anemia, appetite loss, edema or swelling, flu-like symptoms, diarrhea, constipation, bleeding and even bruising, fertility issues in both men and women, sleeping problems and insomnia, and skin and nails change among other multiple issues (National Cancer Institute, 2020) . It is important to note that the symptoms can vary from one person to another, even when people are receiving similar treatment.
Some of the methods that have been suggested by National Cancer Institute to alleviate or lessen both physical and psychological effects include regular exercising, counseling, cancer education lessons, training, relaxation, and meditation, taking depression medication, joining cancer social support groups, and among other strategies (National Cancer Institute, 2012) .
Contributing Factors to Incidence and Mortality in the USA
The burden of cancer in the country can highly be attributed to modifiable health behaviors that act as risk factors to one getting cancer. Several factors can be described as the highest contributing factors in the USA. These contributing factors include:
Tobacco
Tobacco can be described as a scourge of public wellness. In the country, tobacco use is mainly attributed in the form of cigarettes and causes around 440,000 deaths from cancer. Tobacco alone is responsible for around 30% of all cancer-related deaths in the country. Some of cancer attributed to cigarette smoking include lung cancer, where a lot of research has assigned smoking and the cancer type. In the country alone, lung cancer caused around 154,050 deaths in 2018 alone or approximately 25% of all deaths as a result of disease (American Lung Association, 2020) . Other types of cancer associated with smoking include oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, and bladder cancer, among different types.
Obesity
Excess fats in the body can be detrimental to the wellbeing of a person. The condition can cause significant types of cancer and cardiovascular complications. Different researches have described obesity as one of the conditions that support the onset of cancer. Some of the cancers attributed to obesity include breast cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and colon cancer, among others. People who are obese are likely to suffer from colorectal cancer, with 30% more chance than normal-weight individuals (Lauby-Secretan B, 2016) . Having higher BMI can often be associated with increased risk of rectal and colon cancer in both women and men, but with a higher chance among men.
Other contributing factors in the country include diet, lack of physical activities, and alcohol. Alcohol, although beneficial, usage tends to be associated with cigarettes and, as such, providing a higher risk factor. Some of the cancer types that can be related to alcohol consumption include mouth, esophagus, liver, and breast cancers, among other types.
Education and Support from the American Cancer Society
There are many education and support strategies that can be provided to cancer patients and Americans, in general, to give them an insight into the effects and potential causes of cancer in society. Some of the education topics that can be given include; cancer types. The education regarding cancer types would be imperative in providing an understanding of the kind that is likely to affect a person in regard to their living habits. The education would make it possible to alleviate some behaviors among Americans that are associated with cancer like taking junk foods, smoking tobacco, taking alcohol, eating foods with fewer nutrients, among other practices.
The American Cancer Society provides support in a number of ways. The society provides information and services around the clock, 24/7. The information varies from whether a person has been diagnosed, going through treatment, or whether caring for a person with cancer. Some of the information provided include what cancer type a person is suffering from, how to cope with cancer, the side effects of a disease, pain control, clinical trials, and quitting tobacco, among other information (American Cancer Society, 2020) .
Some of the services that are offered by the American Cancer Society include patient services, support groups, medical equipment, transportation, wigs and prostheses, lodging, financial programs, support groups, and social services, among other functions (American Cancer Society, 2020) .
Nursing Process Utilization during Care Giving to Patients with Cancer
The nursing process involves five paramount steps for providing care.
Assessment
Assessment includes the stage where nurses are required to understand the underlying condition and whether a patient is likely to be suffering from cancer. The process involves understanding the health history of the patient, which brings the second step, diagnosis.
Diagnosis
A patient is diagnosed according to the reports gotten from the assessment procedure. There are different diagnosis processes of a patient who has cancer and include the use of a biopsy, screening, or simply understanding the underlying symptoms.
Planning
The step is based on the results of the diagnosis. The action involves setting measurable and achievable goals together with the cancer patient. The goals might include vising doctors for more screening, treatment, and understanding the extent of the condition. The patient is provided with any information they require on the possibility of treatment outcome and survival chances.
Implementation
The care is implemented according to the plan. For a patient with cancer, the process includes the continuity of care and possible discharge or change of care in accordance with the response of cancer to the current treatment plan. The responsibility is always documented in the patient’s record.
Evaluation
The last step of the nursing process is an evaluation where the effectiveness of the treatment and nursing care is closely monitored. Cancer patients require continued care and monitoring, even when they are healed. It is essential to understand their response to different treatment plans. Evaluation allows nurses to adjust the care plan if need be. The treatment should not only be focused on the improvement of the health conditions of the patient but also focus on other factors like immense advice to eliminate the possible stigma or depression developed by the patients, particularly those suffering from stage four cancer.
Liberal Education
Undergraduate studies are essential as they form a foundation of imperative knowledge on how to deal with different patients who are suffering from various conditions. The foundation knowledge provides a basis for understanding the nursing process, and how one can implement the process to ensure that they provide patient-centered care holistically and professionally. Mathematics plays an essential role in the process by providing knowledge on how to administer necessary injections and understand the right amount of medication to different conditions. Although nursing is an applied field, it uses minimal physical science fundamental in ensuring that nurses understand the mitigation process required to provide care.
Conclusion
The nursing process is an essential part of the nursing career and involves providing patient-centered care in a way that is holistic and professional. Nurses are required to understand the five necessary processes applied by the process and how the operations can be involved in everyday care provision. Cancer patients go through a lot of pain and self-rejection as they view themselves unlucky to have contracted such a dreadful health condition. One needs to understand the different causes of cancer, the staging of cancer, and particularly understand what each stage entails, visit a physician to understand the mitigation and treatment options available for each type of cancer, and also the chances of survival. The nursing process is essential to patients who have the disease and helps understand the different actions that are involved with each procedure. Nurses are required to provide holistic and patient-centered care to patients with cancer so as to ensure such patients have a smooth time through the treatment process.
References
American Cancer Society. (2020). How We're Providing Support . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/about-us/what-we-do/providing-support.html
American Lung Association. (2020, March 22). Lung Cancer Fact Sheet . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/resource-library/lung-cancer-fact-sheet
Lauby-Secretan, B, S. C. (2016). Body Fatness and Cancer--Viewpoint of the IARC Working Group. New England Journal of Medicine, 375 (8), 794-798. doi:10.1056/NEJMsr1606602
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018, December 12). Cancer . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20370588
National Cancer Institute. (2012, December 10). Psychological Stress and Cancer . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from National Cancer Institute: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/feelings/stress-fact-sheet
National Cancer Institute. (2019, July 17). How Cancer Is Diagnosed . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from National Cancer Institute: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis
National Cancer Institute. (2020). Side Effects of Cancer Treatment . Retrieved April 11, 2020, from National Cancer Institute: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects
Toney-Butler, T. J., & Thayer, J. M. (2019). Nursing Process. National Center for Biotechnology Information . Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499937/
