Evidence map›Paper›PMID 8608288›Full record

Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)1996

Psychological support for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: a randomised study.

J M McArdle, W D George, C S McArdle, D C Smith, A R Moodie, A V Hughson, G D Murray

Abstract readClinical TrialRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 1996. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
36citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

36 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Specialist breast care nurses for support of women with breast cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021
    Pooled it
  3. Psychological interventions for women with metastatic breast cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013
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  17. Breast Cancer Survivor Advocacy at a University Hospital: Development of a Peer Support Program with Evaluation by Patients, Advocates, and Clinicians.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2017
    Article
  18. Effectiveness of psychological support in patients undergoing primary total hip or knee arthroplasty: a controlled cohort study.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2016
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

J M McArdleUniversity Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.
W D George
C S McArdle
D C Smith
A R Moodie
A V Hughson
G D Murray

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate the effect of support from a nurse specialising in breast care and a voluntary support organisation on prevalence of psychological morbidity after surgery for breast cancer.

designProspective randomised study.

settingThree teaching hospitals in Glasgow with established breast clinics. SUBJECTS: 272 women aged less than 70 years undergoing surgery for breast cancer.

interventionsPatients were randomly allocated to receive routine care from ward staff, routine care plus support from breast care nurse, routine care plus support from voluntary organisation, or routine care plus support from nurse and organisation.

main outcome measuresPrevalence of psychological morbidity as assessed by self rating scales: 28 item general health questionnaire and its subscales, and hospital anxiety and depression scale. Measurements were made at first postoperative clinic visit and at three, six, and 12 months after surgery.

resultsOn each self rating scale, psychological morbidity tended to fall over the 12 month period. For each scale, scores were consistently lower in patients offered support from breast care nurse alone compared with the other groups, which were similar to each other. Differences were significant or nearly so: P values were 0.015 (28 item general health questionnaire), 0.027 (anxiety and insomnia), 0.072 (severe depression), 0.053 (somatic symptoms), 0.031 (social dysfunction), 0.093 (hospital anxiety), and 0.003 (hospital depression).

conclusionSupport from breast care nurse can significantly reduce psychological morbidity, as measured by self rating scales, in women undergoing breast cancer surgery.

Indexed as

Social SupportAdultAgedAnxietyBreast NeoplasmsDepressionFemaleHumansMiddle AgedProspective Studies

Identifiers

PMID8608288
PMCPMC2350687

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.