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Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is commonly performed to reduce the size of tumors before partial mastectomy to improve the rate of breast-conservation. Few studies have been conducted to assess the neoadjuvant chemotherapy experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer and their responses to it., Purpose: To explore the experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and their responses to it., Methods: The grounded theory was adopted as the methodology. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding., Results: A total of 15 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer participated in this study, with information showing that the core category oscillated between the sizes of the tumor. The three categories included difficulty in coping with the physical response to chemotherapy, absence of role fulfillment, and uneasy emotions. The coping strategies used by the participants included: body and mind adjustment, hiding, family labor adjustment, and changing the pace of social life., Conclusions / Implications for Practice: The participants experienced tremendous physical and psychological stress during their neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in which tumor response assessment served as a critical time point. Medical professionals, in addition to noting changes in women's physiological response, must pay attention to their psychological burden and provide emotional support and treatment information as needed.

Breast cancer significantly threatens the life of women, while the adverse effects of cancer treatment degrade quality of life and psychological well-being. The quality of transitional care following the completion of treatment significantly affects the ability of breast cancer patients to transition successfully into survivorship. This paper introduces multiple theoretical perspectives and provides an overview of the tenets of each in order to identify the positions of breast cancer survivors and to highlight the factors and strategies that influence their transitional care. The theoretical perspectives that are introduced include the social-ecological model, transition theory, and the strengths perspective. In order to improve the holistic care of women with breast cancer, factors relevant to transition are categorized into the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels. Furthermore, empirical interventions, which are based on the respective advantages of the various levels of the social-ecological model, are proposed in order to conform to the sociocultural context and clinical practices. Healthcare providers should leverage the strengths and resources at each level to develop feasible strategies and to provide quality of care in order to assist breast cancer patients to transition successfully from treatment to survivorship and to holistically improve their subsequent quality of life and function.

Background: Chronic psychiatric patients tend to have cognitive and functional impairments. Participation in physical activity has been shown to improve their health and independence. Regular practice of Taijiquan may help improve mood and life stresses, promoting physical and mental health., Purpose: This research explores the effect of a 13-week Taijiquan learning program on the daily life experience of chronic psychiatric patients. The process and the essential meaning of the entire learning experiences are presented., Methods: Data were collected from a psychiatric daycare center at a Teaching Hospital in Taipei. The 6 patients who participated in this study included 3 with bipolar disorders and 3 with schizophrenia. Narrative inquiry and focus-group interviews were used for qualitative data collection and analysis., Results: The initial results of participant experiences were categorized into 3 themes: 1. Learning kung fu in the Taijiquan; 2. Releasing binding through the practice of Taijiquan; and 3. Pursuit of excellence through the learning of Taijiquan. The views of illness, body, and interpersonal interaction as well as the three stages of dilemma, transcendence / acclimation, and acquaintance for the psychiatric patients and their Taijiquan's learning world were described and the potential therapeutic effects on the body and daily life of these patients were explored., Conclusions / Implications for Practice: Learning Taijiquan is highly challenging for the novice, especially those with chronic psychiatric illnesses. However, after familiarization with the postural actions and key concepts of this exercise, Taijiquan facilitated body relaxation, heightened perception, and postural balance. Consequently, this exercise stabilized the mood, disease status, and capacity for handling interpersonal relationships of participants and consequently may enhance their long-term life quality and disease recovery status. Results of this study recommend strongly that Taijiquan be included as a therapeutic activity for psychiatric patients to improve their health, healing, and recovery.

Interdisciplinary understanding is crucial for readers today. This article integrates the ideas of four care-aesthetics-column writers in order to illustrate and discuss nursing art and aesthetic care experiences in a cross-disciplinary conversation. This article reflects critically on the art, culture, and nature of nursing in the five themes of: 1) the shape of nursing knowledge, "science" or "art"?; 2) the caring arts: passively regulative or consciously creative labor?; 3) busy hospital workers: a landscape of persons and objects or the creators of the scenery?; 4) nursing skills, arts, and the Tao; and 5) art liberation: is the nursing profession in need of a revolution or fundamental reform? This article utilizes diverse and occasionally contradictory points of view together with practical examples in order to encourage readers to interlink their disparate professional nursing skills and draw aesthetic knowledge from multiple sources and experiences.

Background: Caring consciousness and care action are core nursing values. The concept of internal temporal flow offers the potential to provide patients a richer and more meaningful life and better care. The family care phenomenon of psychiatric patients merits re-exploration., Purpose: This study identifies and describes relationships and issues within and between caring consciousness, care actions, and internal temporal flow by describing and interpreting the family care phenomenon of psychiatric patients. This study targets the care-recipient as a primary subject and highlights the orientation of co-existing and co-presenting caring-temporal flow for family and professional care applications and references., Methods: This study conducts secondary data analysis using hermeneutic phenomenology inquiry. Research work was completed using multi-perspectives and multi-methods of data collection, including participant observation, individual in-depth and focus group interviews with psychiatric patients and their family members regarding their feelings, and thoughts and experiences of psychiatric family care., Results: Data analysis results are divided into two parts: (1) the intersection of caregiver's and care receiver's caring-temporal flow and (2) The trajectory and construction of psychiatric patients' self-care temporal flow. Multiple appearances of the caring-temporal flow were formed when caregivers and care receivers engaged in different time and diverse care patterns., Conclusion: Fluctuation and competition among psychiatric patients' and their family members' control and transfer in terms of their lived temporality were influenced by mutual maturity as well as the demand and offering of caring consciousness and care action. The psychiatric patient as a primary subject should return and take control over his or her own mainstream lived temporality, which is the core essence of care.

Background: Issues related to psychiatric patient intimacy relationships are often neglected, sometimes to the point of being treated as taboo. Nevertheless, intimacy relationships are very important to the life of psychiatric patients., Purpose: The authors designed this study to understand the processes used by psychiatric patients to make decisions about disclosing information on their illness to their dating partners., Methods: This study used grounded theory techniques, and data were collected using four focus group interview sessions and six in-depth individual interview sessions held at a psychiatric hospital in Taipei. Study subjects included twenty chronic psychiatric patients., Results: Data analysis identified three distinct stages of illness disclosure, including: 1) Considerations before disclosure: avoiding, struggling, or withdrawing; 2) Experiences during disclosure: hastening, facing confidently or choosing the easiest way; and 3) Results after disclosure: accepting, blaming, doubting, or refusing and adjusting their mind., Conclusions: The authors hope study results will help nurses understand better the stresses and impacts of illness disclosure and gender interaction experiences that psychiatric patients undergo and provide nurses with more ideas and approaches on counseling psychiatric patients about the illness disclosure process in the dating process in order to improve quality of care to this population.

People with mental illness suffer from their disorder as well as from social stigma. This paper explores the bio-psycho-social reasons that underlie human stigma and proposes potential anti-stigmatization strategies. Furthermore, this paper presents a multi-component, multi-level intervention genetic psychiatry protocol addressing stigma prevention. Significant levels of social stigma still pervade Taiwanese culture, and a potential crisis of genetic psychiatry exists in cases where mental illness is identified. Promoting humanistic, ethical, and caring attitudes and enhancing genetic nursing education at both the community level and amongst health professional are central to ensuring the rights and quality of life of the mentally ill in Taiwan society.

Background: Schizophrenia negatively affects both patients and their families. What are the effects of this incurable, potentially hereditary disease on daily life? Related research shows that schizophrenics tend to experience 'uncertainty' in daily life. Discussions on 'uncertainty' experienced in daily life in the context of concerns regarding hereditary illness remain scarce in Taiwan., Purpose: This research was designed to gather important data on schizophrenic patients and their family members related to their uncertainties about disease heredity., Methods: Participants were recruited from the psychiatric unit and outpatient services department at two hospitals in Hsinchu County. Research subjects included a total of six schizophrenics and six family members., Results: The three topics deduced from data analysis included: 1. marriage / family difficulties rooted in feelings of suffering and torture related to the psychosis and uncertainties regarding disease heredity; 2. evolution from doubt to trust as patients gradual accept choices and make decisions related to disease heredity; and 3. dealing with disease heredity again after having made a successful transition (i.e. persistence to maintain family ties)., Conclusions / Implications for Practice: Both patients and family members experienced worry and fear due to uncertainty about the hereditary condition of the disease. Some experienced emotional responses such as anxiety and helplessness. Research results are expected to help nursing personnel understand the multiple effects and impacts of uncertainty toward illness heredity experienced by the patients and their families in order to provide better consultation and medical care quality under differing circumstances depending on the individual characteristics of patients and their families.