|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Abstract
"......confusion, insecurity, vulnerability, loss, and abandonment....."
Introduction
Although
high quality professional–patient communication is recognized as
fundamental to effective cancer care, less attention
has been paid to developing an evidence basis for
communications surrounding the stage of the cancer journey when primary
cancer treatment concludes, management
responsibilities shift from oncology specialist services into the
generalist care domain,
and the patient transitions beyond patienthood and
into survivorship.
Methods
Using
applied qualitative methodology, we analyzed a database of multiple
interviews with 14 Canadian cancer patients from
a larger study of changing communication needs and
preferences across the cancer trajectory. Through constant comparative
analysis, we generated a thematic summary of
interpretive understandings from the patient perspective of
communication patterns
across the transition from active treatment to
survivorship.
Results
The
accounts illuminate the complexities of the communication environment
in which the transition to survivorship occurs.
Communication gaps and misinterpretations by
clinicians contributed to the confusion, insecurity, vulnerability,
loss, and
abandonment associated with this transition when they
failed to accurately and sensitively respond to individual conditions.
Discussion/conclusions
Despite
increasing recognition of the importance of this transition,
communication gaps occur in relation to attending to
cues, giving prior warning, avoiding avoidance,
sensitivity to context, managing relationships, surfacing anxieties, and
clarifying
roles and responsibilities. These findings expand upon
previous reports to explain mechanisms whereby interactions between
clinicians and patients may significantly shape the
transitional experience and set the stage for survivorship.
Implications for cancer survivors
From the perspective of cancer survivors, the transition beyond initial treatment warrants well-informed anticipatory and
supportive healthcare communications.
0 comments :
Post a Comment
Your comments?
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.