Spiritual Well-being in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving Noncurative Chemotherapy: A Qualitative Study.
Gudrun Rohde, Christian Kersten, Ingvild Vistad and 1 others
PMID 27101099WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with incurable colorectal cancer receiving combination chemotherapy often sought spiritual well-being by focusing on achievable goals and small positive daily experiences.
Some struggled with grief, family communication, or fear of death.
Key findings
01Most participants tended to focus on achievable and positive goals; some felt restless and focused more on painful thoughts.
02Participants with complicated family relationships did not experience improved relationships, and some withheld the full truth about their disease to protect family.
03Patients did not expect healthcare professionals to initiate existential conversations, but they would welcome a non-intrusive listener who acknowledged their faith.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 20 patients were included, and 4 patients were not invited because they were judged too emotionally vulnerable, so the views of the most distressed patients may be missing. Patients had expected life expectancy over 6 months, so those closer to death were not represented. The study was done in Norway with patients receiving noncurative combination chemotherapy, so transferability to other cancers or cultural settings is uncertain. Qualitative interviews describe experiences; they cannot show that a spiritual care approach improves well-being.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that healthcare professionals should initiate spiritual conversations for every patient. The patients said they did not expect healthcare professionals to raise existential issues, although they would welcome it if the conversation was non-intrusive and built on trust.