Healthcare Providers’ Experiences of Psychological Support for People With Cancer in Ardabil, Iran; Acontent Analysis Study

Abstract

Objectives Psychological support is one of the basic aspects of care for patients with cancer. It has been emphasized in literature and clinical practice for many years. This study aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of healthcare providers in Ardabil, Iran, about psychological support to patients with cancer. Methods The research was conducted using conventional qualitative content analysis in cancer treatment centers in Ardabil, Iran, in 2021. Participants were 19 healthcare providers who were purposefully selected and interviewed to explore their experiences. After transcribing the recorded data, analysis was carried out based on Graneheim and Lundman’s content analysis method. Results Based on the content analysis results, four main themes, including “highlighting positive mental connection with oneself and others”, “positive awareness”, “positive change in the patient’s point of view,” and “strengthening the perceived value” were extracted. These categories reflected the healthcare providers’ efforts to “strengthen the positive mindsets” of patients and showed the formation of psychological support for patients with cancer. Conclusion Strengthening of the positive mentality in patients with cancer is needed for their psychological support, and should be used as a strategic plan in the development of training programs for healthcare providers. It can be an indicator for evaluating psychological support to these patients and be a step towards providing quality care to them. The findings can be useful for designing a tool to measure the status of psychological support for patients with cancer in Iran or assess the care quality and performance of healthcare providers in giving psychological support to these patients.