Abstract
Background
The implementation of fast track-cancer treatment programs worldwide leads to an increased need of knowledge about patient experiences of the cancer diagnosis and course of treatment in the light of intensified treatment. The aim of this presentation is to identify elements of illness perceptions among women with endometrial cancer in order to gain further knowledge about how patients
handle and perceive their illness and treatment situation as well as the psychosocial implications of endometrial cancer.
Methods
The study explores experiences and expectations among women with endometrial cancer at two Danish hospitals through a comparative, ethnographic fieldwork with participant observation and in-depth interviews. In total, 22 women participated in interviews conducted at three different phases: 1-3 days before surgery, 3-4 weeks after surgery and 4 months after surgery in relation to the woman’s first follow-up visit. Participant observation was conducted in relation to consultations of diagnosis, treatment plan and follow-ups,
admissions, discharges and ambulant nursing care. The analysis is based on an
anthropological approach in which interpretation of human experience is the focal point.
Results
Preliminary findings show that during consultations, doctors present - for example, by pointing out that the disease is encapsulated - endometrial cancer
as non-aggressive, slowly progressing and, thus, as more preferable than other
cancers. In contrast, most women do not seem to distinct endometrial cancer from other cancers, but tend to confuse them, equate them and consider
them a single disease, simply located in different bodily areas. Many women
recall stories of horrifying and protracted illness experiences, while battling
their fear of cancer cells spreading. This indicates that the word 'cancer' itself symbolizes a grueling treatment process and possibly death.
Conclusions
Our study demonstrates that women suffering from endometrial cancer perceive the disease more as an icon of severe illness than a biological division of cells. By assessing and understanding the disease on a purely medical background
and focusing exclusively on positive survival prognoses, health care professionals risk overlooking the individual woman and her experience
of the disease, which often has more far-reaching implications than just undergoing surgery. These findings emphasize the importance and necessity of
considering the many different, coexisting perceptions of cancer in all matters dealing with the disease, from fast track-treatment and hospitalization to communication and psychosocial rehabilitation.
Research Implications
Future cancer research must take into account that differing illness understandings of laymen and practitioners imply that the medical definition of cancer as cells dividing too fast is insufficient to describe and understand what cancer means culturally, socially, individually and even medically. The incorporation of patient perspectives is essential in gaining a greater knowledge of the psychosocial implications of cancer and it is important that we start
examining the consequences of thinking cancer too narrowly.
Clinical Implications
Our findings show that women with endometrial cancer in many cases experience the disease as potentially life-threatening.This study indicates that
in order to provide sufficient support, patient perceptions of cancer and closely related vulnerabilities, anxieties and individual needs should always be taken into account during doctor-patient consultations, in the development of caring initiatives and information materials, but especially when implementing fast
track-treatments that in principle leave little room for interaction with each patient
The implementation of fast track-cancer treatment programs worldwide leads to an increased need of knowledge about patient experiences of the cancer diagnosis and course of treatment in the light of intensified treatment. The aim of this presentation is to identify elements of illness perceptions among women with endometrial cancer in order to gain further knowledge about how patients
handle and perceive their illness and treatment situation as well as the psychosocial implications of endometrial cancer.
Methods
The study explores experiences and expectations among women with endometrial cancer at two Danish hospitals through a comparative, ethnographic fieldwork with participant observation and in-depth interviews. In total, 22 women participated in interviews conducted at three different phases: 1-3 days before surgery, 3-4 weeks after surgery and 4 months after surgery in relation to the woman’s first follow-up visit. Participant observation was conducted in relation to consultations of diagnosis, treatment plan and follow-ups,
admissions, discharges and ambulant nursing care. The analysis is based on an
anthropological approach in which interpretation of human experience is the focal point.
Results
Preliminary findings show that during consultations, doctors present - for example, by pointing out that the disease is encapsulated - endometrial cancer
as non-aggressive, slowly progressing and, thus, as more preferable than other
cancers. In contrast, most women do not seem to distinct endometrial cancer from other cancers, but tend to confuse them, equate them and consider
them a single disease, simply located in different bodily areas. Many women
recall stories of horrifying and protracted illness experiences, while battling
their fear of cancer cells spreading. This indicates that the word 'cancer' itself symbolizes a grueling treatment process and possibly death.
Conclusions
Our study demonstrates that women suffering from endometrial cancer perceive the disease more as an icon of severe illness than a biological division of cells. By assessing and understanding the disease on a purely medical background
and focusing exclusively on positive survival prognoses, health care professionals risk overlooking the individual woman and her experience
of the disease, which often has more far-reaching implications than just undergoing surgery. These findings emphasize the importance and necessity of
considering the many different, coexisting perceptions of cancer in all matters dealing with the disease, from fast track-treatment and hospitalization to communication and psychosocial rehabilitation.
Research Implications
Future cancer research must take into account that differing illness understandings of laymen and practitioners imply that the medical definition of cancer as cells dividing too fast is insufficient to describe and understand what cancer means culturally, socially, individually and even medically. The incorporation of patient perspectives is essential in gaining a greater knowledge of the psychosocial implications of cancer and it is important that we start
examining the consequences of thinking cancer too narrowly.
Clinical Implications
Our findings show that women with endometrial cancer in many cases experience the disease as potentially life-threatening.This study indicates that
in order to provide sufficient support, patient perceptions of cancer and closely related vulnerabilities, anxieties and individual needs should always be taken into account during doctor-patient consultations, in the development of caring initiatives and information materials, but especially when implementing fast
track-treatments that in principle leave little room for interaction with each patient
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Publikationsdato | okt. 2014 |
| Status | Udgivet - okt. 2014 |
| Udgivet eksternt | Ja |
| Begivenhed | IPOS. The 16th Annual World Congress of Psycho-Oncology and Psychosocial Academy - Lissabon, Portugal Varighed: 15 okt. 2014 → 17 okt. 2014 |
Konference
| Konference | IPOS. The 16th Annual World Congress of Psycho-Oncology and Psychosocial Academy |
|---|---|
| Land/Område | Portugal |
| By | Lissabon |
| Periode | 15/10/2014 → 17/10/2014 |