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The Symptoms and Quality of Life research program has two goals: 1) to increase our scientific understanding of symptoms and problems that diminish quality of life during the cancer experience; and 2) to develop and disseminate effective interventions to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life.  Symptoms can occur in multiples or clusters.  My work has been instrumental in expanding our scientific understanding of the symptom cluster in the context of the cancer experience.  Previous research showed that intervention focused on teaching energy conservation skills during treatment resulted in lower severity of cancer-related fatigue.  Current projects evaluate intervention for a cluster of symptoms during chemotherapy for breast cancer; and the effect of toxicities related to colon or rectal cancer treatment on the ability of survivors to continue or return to work.  Other research focuses on cultural and psychosocial determinants of quality of life for African American breast cancer survivors.

As the director of nursing research, my work has contributed to integrating evidence-based interventions into clinical nursing care.  A project undertaken by the Evidence-based Practice Council is to develop nursing standards for symptom care based on the Oncology Nursing Society’s “Putting Evidence into Practice” initiative.  That initiative evaluated and summarized research evidence to support symptom interventions.

1. Scott, J.A., Lasch, K., Barsevick, A., Piault-Louis, E., Patient-reported Outcomes of Fatigue Consortium (PROOF-C). Patients’ Experiences with cancer-related fatigue: A systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, Published online, May, 2011.
2. Barsevick, AM, Montgomery SV, Ruth K, Ross EA, Egleston BL, Bingler R, Malick J, Miller SM, Cescon TP, Daly MB. Intention to communicate BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic test results to the family. Journal of Family Psychology. 2008;22(2). PubMed
3. Barsevick, A., Frost, M., Zwinderman, A., Hall, P., Halyard, M. I’m so tired: Biological and genetic mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue. Quality of Life Research, published online 14 October 2010. PMC3031957
4. Sprangers, M., Sloan, J.A., Barsevick, A., Chauhan, C., Dueck, A., Raat, H., Shi, Q., and the Gene-QOL Consortium. Scientific Imperatives, clinical implications, and theoretical underpinnings for the investigation of the relationship between genetic variables and patient-reported quality of life outcomes. Quality of Life Research, published online 14 October 2010. PMC2977054.
5. Barsevick, A.M., Cleeland, C.S., Manning, D.C., O’Mara, A.M., Reeve, B.B., Scott, J.A., Sloan, J.A., ASCPRO recommendations for the assessment of fatigue as an outcome in clinical trials. J Pain Symptom Management 39 (6), 1086-1099, 2010. PMC2909842
6. Beck, S.L. Berger, A.M., Barsevick, A.M., Wong, B., Stewart, K.A., Dudley, W.N. Sleep quality after initial chemotherapy for breast cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer 18 (6), 679-689, 2010. PMC2874643
7. Denlinger, C. S., Barsevick, A. M. The challenges of colorectal cancer survivorship. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. 7(8), 883-893, 2009. [Not NIH-funded].
8. Kim, H.J., Barsevick, A.M., Tulman, L. Predictors of the intensity of symptoms in a cluster in patients with breast cancer. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 41(2), 158-165, 2009. PMC2884278
9. Sprangers, M., Sloan, J., Veenhoven, R., Cleeland, C., Halyard, M., Abertnethy, A., Baas, F., Barsevick, A., et al. The establishment of the GENEQOL Consortium to investigate the genetic disposition of patient-reported quality of life outcomes. Twin Research and Human Genetics. 12 (3), 301-311, 2009. PMC2824176
10. Kim, H.J., Barsevick, A.M., Tulman, L. Treatment-related Symptom Clusters in Breast Cancer: A Secondary Analysis. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 36 (5) 468-479, 2008. PMC18718735