BSE - Not taught??

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in PCU, ICU, PACU.

I was searching for a guide to teach BSE and came across several interesting articles. It seems that BSE is on the way out.

What have you heard about this? Do you still teach patients BSE? Is BSE outdated or still worthwhile, in your opinion?

What is BSE?

Specializes in PCU, ICU, PACU.

Oh, sorry. Breast Self Exam

Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

Huh???

Why would it be on its "way out" ? :confused:

That's the first I've heard of it ?

Im still in school, doing my Ob rotation, and we are told to teach the ladies BSE. We had to do women's health at a community health clinic and even there the nurses and the Dr's were teaching BSE. I know also my personal exp. that my gyn makes sure to go over with me once a year about the importance of BSE and I am only 22 with no family hx of breast cancer. So I haven't seen anything that would seem like BSE was on the way out. Thats in my two cents

Specializes in PCU, ICU, PACU.

What I read was about studies that had been done saying that it was a 'waste of time' and was 'uneffective'. The Dr. who was being quoted gave the opinion that there was no reason to do BSE unless the woman just wanted to. (like it was a strange thing to do).

I ask what you had heard because we just covered this in school and I have a return on it tomorrow. We are also told to teach BSE to all our female patients. I was under the impression that BSE caught alot of early stage cancer, but according to these articles it doesn't.

The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) position statement on breast self exam states:

There is currently no scientific evidence from randomized trials that breast self-exam (BSE) saves lives or enables women to detect breast cancer at earlier stages. In addition, there are some data that show that BSE greatly increases the number of benign lumps detected, resulting in increased anxiety, physician visits, and unnecessary biopsies. Therefore, NBCC does not support efforts to promote and teach BSE on a population-wide level in any age group of women. NBCC does not support any public health intervention until there is good scientific evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks. The Coalition believes that there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against the practice of BSE on an individual level. If a woman wishes to be taught BSE, she must be informed of the potential risks and benefits.

Here is the link

http://www.natlbcc.org/bin/index.asp?strid=496&depid=9

Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) position statement on breast self exam states:

Here is the link

http://www.natlbcc.org/bin/index.asp?strid=496&depid=9

Wow. Interesting.

Hmmmm.

Wow. Interesting.

Hmmmm.

I thought you meant Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy commonly known as mad cow disease. I was trying to imagine how the teaching session might go! Maybe you could show them Supersize Me and send them home with a copy of Fast Food Nation.

Specializes in LDRP.

We were taught BSE in our lab (still a student here) class. From our instructor who had breast cancer last year. THere were fake breasts with different sized lumps in them, a video, pamphlets, etc.

It's still being taught in nursing school.

I thought you meant Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy commonly known as mad cow disease. I was trying to imagine how the teaching session might go! Maybe you could show them Supersize Me and send them home with a copy of Fast Food Nation.

By the way we were also taught BSE in our Assessment class. If I remember correctly I did quite poorly on that practical. We had to remember 20 or so different points about BSE's and breastcancer, and it seemed to elementary that I took it too lightly. I passed the comp., but barely.

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