Travelling for radiation cancer treatment: Patient perspectives
- 15 May 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Psycho‐Oncology
- Vol. 12 (7), 664-674
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.682
Abstract
Radiation treatment for cancer requires patients to receive frequent administrations and attend the treatment facility on a daily basis for several weeks. Travelling for radiation treatment has the potential to add to the distress an individual may be feeling. This study utilized in‐depth interviews to capture 118 patients' perspectives about travelling for cancer treatment. Four themes emerged during the analysis of the data: (1) waiting was the most difficult part of the experience; (2) the idea of travelling for treatment was distressing; (3) travelling for treatment was tiring and posed difficulties for patients; and (4) being away from home had both benefits and drawbacks. Given the inevitability of travelling for radiation treatment, and the issues that arises for patients, supportive strategies need to be designed and implemented. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Women’s experiences with ovarian cancer: Reflections on being diagnosedCanadian Oncology Nursing Journal, 2003
- Screening for Anxiety and Depression in Women With Breast Cancer: Psychiatry and Medical Oncology Gear Up for Managed CarePsychosomatics, 1999
- Needs assessment of rural and remote women travelling to the city for breast cancer treatmentAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 1998
- Weathering the Storm: Persevering through a Difficult TimeNursing Science Quarterly, 1998
- A qualitative study of breast cancer self-help groupsPsycho‐Oncology, 1997
- Information Needs and Decisional Preferences in Women With Breast CancerJAMA, 1997
- Adjustment of women and their husbands to recurrent breast cancerResearch in Nursing & Health, 1995
- Quality of Life of Women with Ovarian CancerGynecologic Oncology, 1995
- Strategies to meet the needs of the rural poorSeminars in Oncology Nursing, 1994
- Psychosocial problems in head-and-neck cancer patients and their change with time since diagnosisAnnals of Oncology, 1993