Focus on Health Promotion: Self-Efficacy on Oncology Nursing Research and Practice

Purpose/Objectives: To discuss self-efficacy in oncology nursing research and practice in promoting health for people with cancer.

Data Sources: Published articles, abstracts, and books; consultations.

Data Synthesis: Self-efficacy has much merit as a concept to guide oncology nursing research and practice related to health promotion. It has strong predictive capability in nononcology populations for determining the likelihood of individuals engaging in health-promotion behaviors. In oncology, it has been an effective determinant to predict disease prevention and early-detection behaviors and adaptation to cancer.

Conclusions: Self-efficacy provides prescriptive specificity to guide clinical interventions to promote health in people with cancer.

Implications for Nursing Practice: Exercise for people with cancer recently has been emphasized, and specific examples of cancer nursing research and practice using self-efficacy to increase participation in this health-promotion behavior have been suggested. Research that tests this concept further as a basis for health promotion in people with cancer is needed.