Social representations of oncologic surgery for patients with cancer.
Rômulo Frutuoso Antunes, Rachel Verdan Dib, Raquel de Souza Ramos and 5 others
PMID 39813522WHAT IT FOUND
Patients facing cancer surgery linked fear with hope and cure.
They wanted to remove disease, return to normal life, and relied on family, faith, and health team. Ask about these fears and goals when preparing them for surgery.
Key findings
01Among 126 patients, fear was the most evoked word for surgery (47 mentions), while cure, hope, and removes disease also formed the core meaning.
02In interviews with 60 patients, the largest theme was the impact of cancer diagnosis and surgery (22.7% of text segments), including fear, sadness, and loss.
03Patients described family, religious, and financial support as part of their preparation for surgery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Some patients were approached during the immediate or mediate postoperative period, while still hospitalized and under nursing care, so their views may not show life after discharge. The participants were a convenience sample from one oncology hospital, so the themes may not apply to other settings or patients. Only 60 of the 126 participants were interviewed, and they were selected because they were willing to share more details. The free evocation forms were completed by the researcher without giving participants time to reflect, which may affect the findings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that cancer surgery causes fear or that support networks reduce anxiety. The study described patients' perceptions in one hospital and did not test any intervention.