The process of life adjustment in patients at onset of glioma who are receiving continuous oral anticancer drug: A qualitative descriptive study.
Koji Amano, Kumi Suzuki
PMID 31406882WHAT IT FOUND
Ten patients with malignant glioma after surgery, radiotherapy and oral anticancer drug described adjusting after discharge by seeking information, testing abilities, asking for help, accepting limits and focusing on desired life.
Small qualitative study; not evidence a nursing intervention works.
Key findings
01Patients often did not understand how serious glioma was until they searched online or in books and saw symptoms of other patients.
02Patients tested what they could still do and consulted doctors about symptoms such as daytime sleepiness.
03Improvements in hand swelling and walking during rehabilitation made patients want to continue recovery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 10 Japanese patients were interviewed once, so themes are not a general pattern. Participants varied widely in symptoms and functional disorders, from barely any to multiple impairments. One author conducted all analyses, with discussion by a second author and peer review, but no formal inter-rater reliability is reported. The study included patients receiving oral anticancer drug after surgery and radiotherapy, so experiences cannot be separated from the whole treatment course. Physicians selected candidates, not random sampling.
Declared interests
No conflict of interest was declared. The work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists; No. B16K20780) in 2016-2018.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these seven categories prove a nursing care programme works or that all patients with glioma adjust this way. The study interviewed 10 Japanese patients once, so it describes possible experiences, not an intervention effect or a general pattern.