According to current statistical data, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer patients has improved in recent years, but the overall mortality rates have changed little. In 1993 Congress allocated $210 million for breast cancer research as part of the Department of Defense budget. An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee was convened at that time to advise the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command on strategies for managing a breast cancer research program. This book evaluates the program's management and achievements to date. Although it is too early to evaluate the program in terms of breakthrough results and new insights produced by the funded projects or investigators, this book documents the process used to select research proposals for funding and analyzes the portfolio of funded projects in terms of their responsiveness to the recommendations and fundamental questions articulated in the 1993 IOM report.

High-quality nursing care is essential to obtaining favorable patient outcomes, no less so in military than in civilian settings. Military nursing research focuses on enhancing health care delivery systems and processes to improve clinical outcomes, to advance the practice of military nursing in support of mission readiness and deployment, and to improve the health status and quality of life of military personnel and their beneficiaries. This volume reviews the military nursing research program of the TriService Nursing Research Program in terms of its management, funding, allocation of resources, and identification of program goals. The book also contains the results of that study and the committee's recommendations.