Transgender Patient Screening: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Screening Recommendations
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BACKGROUND: When a discrepancy exists between an individual's biologic sex and the deeply felt sense of being male or female, a transgender orientation may result. 
. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to summarize breast cancer risk assessment and screening recommendations for transgender individuals. 
. METHODS: A review of the literature was done to determine if evidence-based screening guidelines exist for transgender individuals and how they can be applied to clinical practice. 
. FINDINGS: Most of the available research is descriptive of this patient population and identifies barriers in accessing healthcare services rather than how to provide care. The medical community must address transgender individuals' specific healthcare needs in a comprehensive and affirmative manner.

Mindfulness as an Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors.

Breast cancer survivors often turn to complementary health approaches (CHAs) to address the effects of treatment. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a type of CHA that uses attentional and meditative exercises to minimize stress and increase awareness of the present. This article aims to determine whether adequate evidence-based research with uniform methodologies and outcomes to support MBSR as an intervention for breast cancer survivors exists.

Timeliness in breast cancer care as an indicator of quality.

The current study sought to define best practice for timeliness for a breast cancer program at each diagnostic step. The study was a retrospective review of patients newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer who were enrolled in the breast cancer database from 2009-2011. A convenience sampling methodology was used for patient selection, and descriptive statistics for various time intervals were calculated for identified data points from abnormal imaging to surgery. No evidence-based practice standards exist for access to breast cancer care. Practice guidelines that include benchmarks for quality measures and an established process to measure patient outcomes would promote high-quality care. An understanding of how practice sites function also would help healthcare providers identify and develop resources to improve patient outcomes. In the current study, the advanced practice nurse (APN) in the practice setting was identified as a key point person in facilitating patients' timely access to healthcare services. The physician and APN practice model was instrumental in influencing the process. The results of the current study provided clinical data to identify benchmarks that a breast oncology practice can use to monitor timeliness as a quality indicator.

Assessing breast cancer risk in a primary care setting.

Individuals who are given a preventive exam by a primary care provider are more likely to agree to cancer screening. The provider recommendation has been identified as the strongest factor associated with screening utilization. This article provides a framework for breast cancer risk assessment for an advanced practice registered nurse working in primary care practice.