Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Cancer Survivorship
Published in: Journal of Cancer Survivorship 1/2019

01-02-2019

Integrating self-management into daily life following primary treatment: head and neck cancer survivors’ perspectives

Authors: Simon Dunne, Laura Coffey, Linda Sharp, Deirdre Desmond, Rachael Gooberman-Hill, Eleanor O’Sullivan, Aileen Timmons, Ivan Keogh, Conrad Timon, Pamela Gallagher

Published in: Journal of Cancer Survivorship | Issue 1/2019

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Self-management may help cancer survivors to better deal with challenges to their physical, functional, social and psychological well-being presented by cancer and its treatment. Nonetheless, little is known about how people integrate cancer self-management practices into their daily lives. The aim of this study was to describe and characterise the processes through which head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors attempt to integrate self-management into their daily lives following primary treatment.

Methods

Using a purposeful critical case sampling method, 27 HNC survivors were identified through four designated cancer centres in Ireland and participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Six themes describing HNC survivors’ attempts to integrate self-management into their lives following treatment were identified: grappling with having to self-manage, trying out self-management strategies, becoming an expert self-manager, struggling to integrate self-management strategies into daily life, avoiding recommended self-management and interpreting self-management.

Conclusions

This is the first study to describe HNC survivors’ attempts to integrate self-management into their daily lives following primary treatment. The findings indicate that HNC survivors exhibit highly individualised approaches to self-management integration and abandon self-management strategies that fail to meet their own specific needs.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Survivors may benefit from skills training and structured support to assist their transition between in-patient care and having to self-manage after primary treatment, and/or ongoing support to deal with persistent and recurring challenges such as eating difficulties and fear of recurrence.
Literature
1.
Hoffman MA, Lent RW, Raque-Bogdan TL. A social cognitive perspective on coping with cancer: theory, research, and intervention. Couns Psychol. 2013;41(2):240–67.CrossRef
2.
Maher EJ. Managing the consequences of cancer treatment and the English National Cancer Survivorship Initiative. Acta Oncol. 2013;52(2):225–32.CrossRef
3.
Foster C, Breckons M, Cotterell P, Barbosa D, Calman L, Corner J, et al. Cancer survivors’ self-efficacy to self-manage in the year following primary treatment. J Cancer Surviv. 2015;9(1):11–9.CrossRef
4.
McCorkle R, Ercolano E, Lazenby M, Schulman-Green D, Schilling LS, Lorig K, et al. Self-management: enabling and empowering patients living with cancer as a chronic illness. CA Cancer J Clin. 2011;61:50–62.CrossRef
5.
Foster C, Fenlon D. Recovery and self-management support following primary cancer treatment. Br J Cancer. 2011;105:S21–8.CrossRef
6.
Hammer MJ, Ercolano EA, Wright F, Dickson VV, Chyun D, Melkus GD. Self-management for adult patients with cancer: an integrative review. Cancer Nurs. 2015;38(2):E10–26.CrossRef
7.
Howell D, Harth T, Brown J, Bennett C, Boyko S. Self-management education interventions for patients with cancer: a systematic review. Support Care Cancer. 2017;25(4):1323–55.CrossRef
8.
Davies N, Batehup L. Self-management support for cancer survivors: guidance for developing interventions: an update of the evidence. London: Macmillan Group; 2010.
9.
Kvale EA, Meneses K, Demark-Wahnefried W, Bakitas M, Ritchie C. Formative research in the development of a care transition intervention in breast cancer survivors. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2015;19:329–35.CrossRef
10.
Dingley C, Roux G. The role of inner strength in quality of life and self-management in women survivors of cancer. Res Nurs Health. 2014;37(1):32–41.CrossRef
11.
Audulv A, Asplund K, Norbergh K-G. The integration of chronic illness self-management. Qual Health Res. 2012;22(3):332–45.CrossRef
12.
Audulv A, Norbegh K-G, Asplund A. An ongoing process of inner negotiation – a grounded theory study of self-management among people living with chronic illness. J Nurs Healthc Chron Ill. 2009;1(4):283–93.CrossRef
13.
Kralik D, Price K, Telford K. The meaning of self-care for people with chronic illness. J Nurs Healthc Chron Ill. 2010;2:197–204.CrossRef
14.
Hornsten A, Jutterstrom L, Audulv A, Lundman B. A model of integration of illness and self-management in type 2 diabetes. J Nurs Healthc Chron Ill. 2011;3:41–51.CrossRef
15.
Schulman-Green D, Jaser S, Martin F, Alonzo A, Grey M, McCorkle R, et al. Processes of self-management in chronic illness. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2012;44:136–44.CrossRef
16.
Fenlon D, Foster C. Self-management support: a review of the evidence. Macmillan Research Unit: University of Southampton; 2009.
17.
Moser RP, Arndt J, Han PK, Waters EA, Amsellem M, Hesse BW. Perceptions of cancer as a death sentence: prevalence and consequences. J Health Psychol. 2014;19(12):1518–24.CrossRef
18.
Howren MB, Christensen AJ, Karnell LH, Funk GF. Psychological factors associated with head and neck cancer treatment and survivorship: evidence and opportunities for behavioural medicine. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2013;81:299–317.CrossRef
19.
Djan R, Pennington A. A systematic review of questionnaires to measure the impact of appearance on quality of life for head and neck cancer patients. J Plast Reconstr Aes. 2013;66:647–59.CrossRef
20.
Humphris GM, Rogers S, McNally D, Lee-Jones C, Brown J, Vaughan D. Fear of recurrence and possible cases of anxiety and depression in orofacial cancer patients. Int J Oral Max Surg. 2003;32:486–91.CrossRef
21.
Dunne S, Mooney O, Coffey L, Sharp L, Desmond D, Timon C, et al. Psychological variables associated with quality of life following primary treatment for head and neck cancer: a systematic review of the literature from 2004 to 2015. Psycho-Oncology. 2016;26(2):149–60.CrossRef
22.
Dunne S, Mooney O, Coffey L, Sharp L, Timmons A, Desmond D, et al. Self-management strategies used by head and neck cancer survivors following completion of primary treatment: a directed content analysis. Psycho-Oncology. 2017;26:2194–200.CrossRef
23.
Dunne S, Coffey L, Sharp L, Timmons A, Desmond D, O’Sullivan E, Keogh, I, Timon C, Gooberman-Hill R, Gallagher P. Barriers to active self-management following treatment for head and neck cancer: survivors’ perspectives. 2018. Manuscript under review.
24.
Onwuegbuzie AJ, KMT C. A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research. Qual Rep. 2007;12:281–316.
25.
Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3:77–101.CrossRef
26.
So WKW, Chan RJ, Chan DNS, Hughes BGM, Chair SY, Choi KC, et al. Quality of life among head and neck cancer survivors at one year after treatment- a systematic review. Eur J Cancer. 2012;48:2391–408.CrossRef
27.
Audulv A. The over time development of chronic illness self-management patterns: a longitudinal qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:452.CrossRef
28.
Paterson BL, Russell C, Thorne S. Critical analysis of everyday self-care decision making in chronic illness. J Adv Nurs. 2001;35(3):335–41.CrossRef
29.
Audulve A, Asplund K, Norberg K-G. The influence of illness perspectives on self-management of chronic disease. J Nurs Healthc Chron Ill. 2011;3:109–18.CrossRef
30.
Csikszentmihályi M. The flow experience and its significance for human psychology. In: Csikszentmihályi M, editor. Optimal experience: psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1988. p. 15–35.CrossRef
31.
Reynolds F, Prior S. Creative adventures and flow in art-making: a qualitative study of women living with cancer. Brit J Occup Ther. 2006;69(6):1–8.CrossRef
32.
Ghazali N, Cadwallader E, Lowe D, Humphris G, Ozakinci G, Rogers SN. Fear of recurrence among head and neck cancer survivors: longitudinal trends. Psycho-Oncol. 2013;22(4):807–13.CrossRef
33.
Lang H, France E, Williams B, Humphris G, Wells M. The psychological experience of living with head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-synthesis. Psycho-Oncol. 2013;22:2648–63.CrossRef
34.
Hibbard JH, Mahoney ER, Stock R, Tusler M. Do increases in patient activation result in improved self-management behaviors? Health Serv Res. 2007;42(4):1443–63.CrossRef
35.
36.
Vassilev I, Rogers A, Kennedy A, Koetsenruijter J. The influence of social networks on self-management support: a metasynthesis. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:719.CrossRef
37.
Coffey L, Mooney O, Dunne S, Sharp L, Timmons A, Desmond D, et al. Cancer survivors’ perspectives on adjustment-focused self-management interventions: a qualitative meta-synthesis. J Cancer Surviv. 2016;10:1012–34.CrossRef
38.
Trappenburg J, Jonkman N, Jaarsma T, van Os-Medendorp H, Kort H, de Wit N, et al. Self-management: one size does not fit all. Patient Educ Couns. 2013;92(1):134–7.CrossRef
39.
Salander P. Why doesn’t mind matter when we are to find out what is helpful? Psycho-Oncology. 2011;20(4):441–2.CrossRef
40.
Taylor SJC, Pinnock H, Epiphaniou E, Pearce G, Parke HL, Schwappach A, et al. A rapid synthesis of the evidence on interventions supporting self-management for people with long-term conditions: PRISMS – practical systematic review of self-management support for long-term conditions. NIHR HS & DR. 2014;2(53).
41.
De Silva D. Helping people help themselves: a review of the evidence of whether it is worthwhile to support self-management. London: The Health Foundation; 2011.
42.
Boger E, Ellis J, Latter S, Foster C, Kennedy A, Jones F, et al. Self-management and self-management support outcomes: a systematic review and mixed research synthesis of stakeholder views. PLoS One. 2015;10(7):e0130990.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Integrating self-management into daily life following primary treatment: head and neck cancer survivors’ perspectives
Authors
Simon Dunne
Laura Coffey
Linda Sharp
Deirdre Desmond
Rachael Gooberman-Hill
Eleanor O’Sullivan
Aileen Timmons
Ivan Keogh
Conrad Timon
Pamela Gallagher
Publication date
01-02-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Cancer Survivorship / Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 1932-2259
Electronic ISSN: 1932-2267
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0726-4

Other articles of this Issue 1/2019

Journal of Cancer Survivorship 1/2019 Go to the issue

Reviews

A systematic review of the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of online supportive care interventions targeting men with a history of prostate cancer

OriginalPaper

Survivorship needs of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a concept mapping analysis

OriginalPaper

Development of the perceived barriers scale: a new instrument identifying barriers to career development and employment for young adult survivors of pediatric CNS tumors

OriginalPaper

Chinese translation of a measure of symptom burden, functional limitations, lifestyle, and health care–seeking skills in breast cancer survivors: the Cancer Survivor Profile

Review

Unpacking the layers: a meta-ethnography of cancer survivors’ loneliness

OriginalPaper

Smoking cessation attitudes and practices among cancer survivors – United States, 2015
Webinar | 19-02-2024 | 17:30 (CET)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on antibody–drug conjugates in cancer

Watch now

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are novel agents that have shown promise across multiple tumor types. Explore the current landscape of ADCs in breast and lung cancer with our experts, and gain insights into the mechanism of action, key clinical trials data, existing challenges, and future directions.

Dr. Véronique Diéras
Prof. Fabrice Barlesi
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Image Credits