At the Heart of It All: Emotions of Consequence for the Conceptualization of Caregiver-Reported Outcomes in the Context of Colorectal Cancer

Current Oncology

Melanie McDonald¹  Michael McKenzie¹  Joyce Lee¹  Antony Porcino¹  Penelope Hedges¹  Mary De Vera²  Jonathan Avery³  Kelsey Lynch³  Angela Wolff³  Maria-José Torrejón³  Sally Thorne³  Leah Lambert³  Scott Beck³  A. Fuchsia Howard³ 

[1] BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4C2, Canada;Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada;School of Nursing, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada;

关键词: supportive care needs;    patient;    family;    caregiver;    qualitative research;    emotions;   

DOI  :  10.3390/curroncol28050355

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Colorectal cancer (CRC) can be demanding for primary caregivers; yet, there is insufficient evidence describing the caregiver-reported outcomes (CROs) that matter most to caregivers. CROs refer to caregivers’ assessments of their own health status as a result of supporting a patient. The study purpose was to describe the emotions that were most impactful to caregivers of patients with CRC, and how the importance caregivers attribute to these emotions changed from diagnosis throughout treatment. Guided by qualitative Interpretive Description, we analyzed 25 caregiver and 37 CRC patient interviews, either as individuals or as caregiver-patient dyads (six interviews), using inductive coding and constant comparative techniques. We found that the emotional aspect of caring for a patient with CRC was at the heart of caregiving. Caregiver experiences that engendered emotions of consequence included: (1) facing the patient’s life-changing diagnosis and an uncertain future, (2) needing to be with the patient throughout the never-ending nightmare of treatment, (3) bearing witness to patient suffering, (4) being worn down by unrelenting caregiver responsibilities, (5) navigating their relationship, and (6) enduring unwanted change. The broad range of emotions important to caregivers contributes to comprehensive foundational evidence for future conceptualization and the use of CROs.

【 授权许可】

Unknown