Atlantic Breast Cancer Information Project: formation of a "town-gown" partnership.

The Atlantic Breast Cancer Information Project (ABCIP) is one of 5 breast cancer information exchange projects funded by Health Canada. This article describes the development of ABCIP and thereby contributes to the limited knowledge on successful partnership formation in the face of restraints but with support from enabling factors. Partnership formation is presented in the context of alliances in management, coalitions in health promotion, and social movements. The restraining factors were the inertia of the status quo, provincial structures and concerns about empowering others. The enabling factors fell into 3 categories: timely logistics, roles of individuals who participated at critical points in the process, and the evolution of a supportive cultural environment. The article outlines ABCIP's achievements to date.

Colposcopy: sensory information for client education.

OBJECTIVE: To determine women's sensory experiences during colposcopy and to describe a model for developing sensory information. DESIGN: Four-stage survey design, which included standardizing the procedure, discovering the experience, validating the experience, and writing the message. SETTING: Ambulatory clinics in a large teaching hospital in New Brunswick, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty women undergoing colposcopy. RESULTS: A valid sensory information message for colposcopy was documented. A model for developing sensory information was derived from a critical appraisal of the four-stage process. The merits of validation interviews were reinforced. CONCLUSIONS: The step-by-step approach outlined in the developmental model provides nurses with precise guidelines for developing other sensory messages. Nurses using a prepared message, such as that provided for colposcopy, need to ensure that it is accurate for their practice setting.

Anxiety and the colposcopy experience.

The purpose of this study was to explore the anxiety of an abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) result, the need for colposcopy, and the colposcopic examination experienced by first-time colposcopy clients. Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a Woman's Profile were administered to 149 women who had abnormal Pap smears necessitating colposcopy. The results confirm that this experience evokes anxiety. Younger women who knew less and had concurrent stressors in their lives were most anxious. Women identified ways that health professionals could be more helpful in alleviating their anxiety. Their suggestions included the provision of more information and an opportunity for personal contact with a health professional.

The colposcopy experience: what do women know?

A study of 149 first-time colposcopy women was undertaken to determine their level of knowledge about female anatomy, abnormal pap results, and the colposcopy procedure. Factors which influenced their knowledge were also explored. Results suggest that women are missing fundamental knowledge about the experience; for example, location of the cervix (39.6%), site of pap smear (44.3%), meaning of pap result (38.9%), and the purpose of colposcopy (32.4%). Older women with a university education knew more. Women's perception of information gained through personal contacts and this information combined with that obtained through written material had a significant impact on what they knew. Women identified the type, source and preferred timing of additional information that would be helpful. The data provide valuable insights for nurses who practise in ambulatory settings and doctors' offices.