Exploring hope and expectations amidst the shadows: Navigating through the hearts of cancer patients admitted to a palliative care unit.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study is to conduct an in-depth exploration of the psychological well-being, hope, and expectations of cancer patients receiving care in a palliative care unit, utilizing a qualitative research approach.

Methods: We employed the methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Our data collection involved conducting 1-hour semi-structured interviews with the patients. In the subsequent data analysis, we applied investigator triangulation to ensure rigor and reliability.

Results: Understanding patients' hope and expectations from palliative care is crucial as it can serve as an indicator of the quality of care and motivate care providers to fulfill these expectations as much as possible. Throughout the IPA, 3 superordinate themes emerged from the qualitative data: cancer diagnosis and the spectrum of emotions, hope and cancer patient, and oncology patient expectations of palliative care.

Significance of results: From the patient's perspective, making sense of their cancer experience involves managing symptoms, redefining their understanding of illness, adapting to functional changes, and fostering open communication among themselves, their families, physicians, and the palliative care team. This underscores the crucial necessity for an interdisciplinary approach and emphasizes the importance of reinforcing positive support systems. In essence, our study delves into the multifaceted psychological aspects of cancer patients in the context of palliative care, shedding light on their hope and expectations as they navigate the challenging terrain of cancer treatment and palliative support.