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Barriers in providing psychosocial support for patients with cancer

journal contribution
posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00 authored by Mari BottiMari Botti, R Endacott, Rosemary Watts, J Cairns, K Lewis, A Kenny
There is sound evidence to support the notion that the provision of effective psychosocial care improves the outcomes of patients with cancer. Central to the implementation of this care is that health professionals have the necessary communication and assessment skills. This study aimed to identify key issues related to providing effective psychosocial care for adult patients admitted with hematological cancer, as perceived by registered nurses with 3 or more years of clinical experience. An exploratory qualitative design was used for this study. Two focus group interviews were conducted with 15 experienced cancer nurses. The provision of psychosocial care for patients with cancer is a dynamic process that has a professional and personal impact on the nurse. The 5 analytic themes to emerge from the data were as follows: When is it a good time to talk? Building relationships; Being drawn into the emotional world; Providing support throughout the patient's journey; and Breakdown in communication processes. The findings from this study indicate an urgent need to develop a framework to provide nurses with both skill development and ongoing support in order to improve nurses' ability to integrate psychosocial aspects of care and optimize patient outcomes.

History

Journal

Cancer nursing

Volume

29

Issue

4

Pagination

309 - 316

Publisher

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Location

Hagerstown, Md.

ISSN

0162-220X

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2006, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.