Our research studies are focused on bringing about patient-centered care of cancer nursing.
Lately, cancer chemotherapy has been making the transition to outpatient treatment. This means that the patients and their families have to deal with the adverse effects by themselves at their homes. The physical distresses and the mental strains of the patients have increased because of that, and it has been proven in the “A report on research into the anxieties and burdens of cancer survivors: the views of 4,054 people who faced up to cancer in 2013” as an obvious fact.
It is critical that the cancer patients participate in their treatments voluntarily for improvement and expansion of patient-centered cares. Therefore, optimal information and ways to cope with adverse effects needed by the patients should be offered at the appropriate timings.
We study on when the patients need such information, and how the patients should be offered that and be supported. We examine on the information provision and the nursing care for cancer treatments from various perspectives, hoping the cope with adverse effects respecting the patients’ initiatives will be expanded and their anxieties and distresses will be lessened.
Supporting the cancer patients and their families: Providing information which they need to have.
“Information prescription” can be interpreted as “adequately providing right information which cancer patients and their families want and need to have.”
We have prepared a booklet per each type of cancer chemotherapy compiling information given to the patients and their families. It includes therapeutic regimen and effects, variations and periods for possible adverse effects, indications for when and what they must inform the multidisciplinary team of and what they can do themselves to take care of the adverse effects. All of the booklet contents are meant to help the patients with the initiations of their own cancer treatments.
We are planning to prepare the patient self-reporting record form regarding the compiled criteria, and to utilize the patient-reported outcomes. By doing so, we are expecting to improve communications between the patients and the multidisciplinary team and to bridge gaps between their perspectives.
