Experiences of Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the experiences of cancer patients to manage and cope with the disease during course of the disease. Methods: The study was conducted with 19 volunteer patients who were diagnosed with cancer at the Radiation Oncology Service of a hospital between September...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of caring sciences 2018-09, Vol.11 (3), p.1456-1466
Main Authors: Cinar, Derya, Yildirim, Yasemin, Yesilbalkan, Oznur Usta, Pamuk, Ayse
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Breast cancer
Cancer therapies
Consent
Content analysis
Data collection
Ethics
Illnesses
Interviews
Medicine
Nurses
Nursing
Oncology
Palliative care
Patients
Qualitative research
R&D
Radiation therapy
Research & development
Spirituality
Volunteers
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Aim: This study was conducted to determine the experiences of cancer patients to manage and cope with the disease during course of the disease. Methods: The study was conducted with 19 volunteer patients who were diagnosed with cancer at the Radiation Oncology Service of a hospital between September 2015 and December 2015 and who met the research criteria. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the "Patient Information Form" and semistructured in-depth interview form. At the end of the interviews, the data obtained were analyzed using the content analysis method. To assess the descriptive data, numbers, percentages and mean values were used. Results: As a result of the content analysis of the data, the following two themes were obtained: "disease perception" and "coping with the disease". The subcategories of themes were as follows: "questioning the reasons for having cancer", "acceptance", "awareness", "future anxiety", "hope", "spirituality" and "social support". In the interviews, the patients stated that after they had cancer, their emotional structures were influenced very much, and that in coping with the illness, support from the family and friends was as effective as their personal values and beliefs. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that patients thought that they had cancer for one reason or another, which affected the way they managed the disease, that time was of great value in their lives, that their awareness increased and that their priorities changed. Among the most frequently used values to cope with illness were the family support and spiritual strength.
ISSN:1791-5201
1792-037X