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The Impact of Receiving Treatment for Cancer at a Large Metropolitan Teaching Hospital as Recorded by Patients Using Unstructured Journals

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Abstract

The aim was to obtain patients' experiences of the cancer treatment pathway at a tertiary teaching hospital using unstructured journals to enable health care professionals to be educated on how to improve patient care. Most of 38 patients (22 females and 16 males), average age of 58 (range 29–80), who returned diaries were starting chemotherapy for a range of cancers. Data entries were transcribed and entered into the NVIVO software to facilitate thematic analysis. Women wrote more, and more often than men, and disclosed more. For most, physical side effects dominated, comprising 25–75 % of diary entries. The most commonly mentioned were fatigue (74 %), pain (63 %), sleep disturbances (50 %), nausea (45 %) and changes in appetite (45 %). Collectively, 22 patients reported 261 separate emotional reactions including depression, anger, guilt, shame, grief, panic and confusion. The treatment environment, including personnel, impacted upon patients. Where survival is unpredictable, evidence of consistency of practitioners' approaches attains heightened significance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Council Australia, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney, 2000, Australia

    Ian N. Olver

  2. School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Level 11, 178 North Tce, Mail Drop DX 650 207, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Jaklin A. Eliott

  3. Discipline of Public Health, School of Population Health & Clinical Practice, The University of Adelaide, Level 11, 178 North Tce, Mail Drop DX 650 207, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Jaklin A. Eliott

  4. Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia

    Leslye Long

  5. South Australian Health, Level 10 Citi Centre, 11 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia

    Michele McKinnon

  6. Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia

    Graham Rumsby

Authors
  1. Ian N. Olver
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  2. Jaklin A. Eliott
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  3. Leslye Long
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  4. Michele McKinnon
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  5. Graham Rumsby
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Correspondence to Ian N. Olver.

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Olver, I.N., Eliott, J.A., Long, L. et al. The Impact of Receiving Treatment for Cancer at a Large Metropolitan Teaching Hospital as Recorded by Patients Using Unstructured Journals. J Canc Educ 27, 625–630 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0415-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0415-3

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