Experiences of cancer care in COVID-19: A longitudinal qualitative study.
Maura Dowling, Manuela Eicher, Amanda Drury
PMID 36334337WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer patients and one caregiver described hospital visits as safe and appreciated no treatment delays, but felt isolated, missed family and support services, and found telephone follow-up often felt brief and unsupportive.
Key findings
01Participants felt hospital visits were safe and appreciated that their cancer treatment was not delayed.
02Isolation from family and friends, attending hospital alone, and losing cancer support centre services were described as distressing.
03Telephone and virtual follow-up were often described as brief, unsupportive, and less helpful than in-person appointments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 16 people were interviewed, and they were recruited through cancer social media, so they may not represent all cancer patients. Most were women with breast cancer and most were in remission; only one man and one participant had advanced cancer, so experiences of other cancers, men, and advanced disease are not captured. Only one caregiver was included, so caregiver experiences are thin. This qualitative study describes experiences and cannot show whether hospital safety, vaccination, or virtual care caused changes in distress or outcomes. The interviews took place in Ireland during a particular lockdown and vaccination timeline, so findings may not transfer to other settings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the low distress scores or safe hospital visits as proof that cancer patients coped well with pandemic restrictions. The study describes 16 people, mostly women with breast cancer in remission recruited through cancer social media, and it cannot show whether hospital safety, vaccination, or telephone follow-up caused better or worse outcomes.