Exploring the Life Experiences of Colorectal Cancer Patients with Chemotherapy

• Main Authors: Hsu, Yu-Lan, 許玉蘭
• Other Authors: Lin, Yi-Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/77774255030341206760

碩士 === 中臺科技大學 === 護理系碩士班 === 101 === In 2010, 14,040 patients were diagnosed as colorectal cancer in Taiwan and 7,368 cases had received chemotherapy treatment. Incidence rate of colorectal cancer is on the top and the mortality is the third most common cause of cancer death in Taiwan. Colorectal cancer patients received chemotherapy had side effects and discomfort. These will have a great impact on life and quality of life for the patients. Most of the researches regarding care of colorectal cancer patients focused on postoperative care and quality of life after colostomy in Taiwan. There is no study devoted to the life experiences of colorectal cancer patients with chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to explore the life experiences of colorectal cancer patients with chemotherapy. The method of Husserl’s descriptive and phenomenological research was applied. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Qualified participants were diagnosed as a stage III colorectal cancer patient and had received chemotherapy treatment. Non-structured in-depth interviews were carried out to understand the experience and feeling of participants. Colaizzi’s analysis method was applied to analyze the data. Nine participants were recruited while data were reaching saturation. The result was divided into three main themes and nine sub-themes: (1) stage of suffering: physical torture, challenges of life; (2) stage of complaint: depressed morale, unspeakable experiences, irritating emotions, regretted sorrow; (3) stage of adjustment：looking for healing, modifying the lifestyle and living in a balance life.Four recommendations were (1) on the clinical situation: nurses should actively provide medical instructions regarding relevant information and side effects of chemotherapy medicine; to set a clinical guideline of chemotherapy for nursing and to promote nurses to implement nursing instructions of chemotherapy; nurses actively understand inner thoughts and feelings of cancer patients and transfer high-risk groups to social workers or counselors; to arrange patients during chemotherapy having consultations with dietitians regularly; to educate patients to discuss with physicians about any alternative therapy if they want to try; to encourage patients to participate in a supporting group within hospital;(2) on the policy: to encourage high-risk groups for colorectal cancer to have a regular colorectal cancer screen; (3) on the education: to train nurses to have psychological, sociological and spiritual nursing competencies; (4) on the research: for future research, to compare the life experiences of different age groups of colorectal cancer patients with chemotherapy, such as 35 to 45 year-old group.