Living an everyday life with head and neck cancer 2–2.5 years post-diagnosis – A qualitative prospective study of 56 patients

Isaksson, Joakim; Salander, Pär; Lilliehorn, Sara; Laurell, Göran

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.031

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The findings also confirms that patients with cancer seek psychosocial counseling for subjects with no or only secondary connection to their cancer (Salander, 2010). Patients' needs depend on the illness trajectory but also on their life context as a whole (Brennan, 2004;Isaksson, Salander, Lilliehorn, & Laurell, 2016;Salander, Lilliehorn, Hamberg, & Kero, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations? - An empirical study

Lilliehorn

Isaksson

Salander

2019

Social Work in Health Care

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The oncology social worker is a core profession in the psychosocial care of cancer patients, and has been scrutinised according to its role, function, and delivery of care, primarily from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. There is, however, a lack of studies outside this context, and empirical studies based on individual data. This study is a contribution by exploring the variability in clinical practice from a Swedish perspective. It is based on documentation from one oncology social worker's (OSW's) patient contacts over the course of one year. The essence of the majority of contacts was counseling and the patients displayed a wide variety of motives for seeing an OSW. The function of the OSW is thus multifaceted, and the findings suggest that the OSW, in addition to guiding patients in social legislation issues, also should be prepared to act as an anchor in an acute crisis, contain despair in different phases of the trajectory, and facilitate the 'carrying on as before' or finding a 'new normal'. The paper discusses the importance of the OSW being acquainted with different counseling/psychotherapy perspectives in the illness context, but primarily the importance of having the ability to establish a 'working alliance' with their patients.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations? - An empirical study

Lilliehorn

Isaksson

Salander

2019

Social Work in Health Care

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“…These high survival rates support the fact that people diagnosed with cancer live the majority of their lives outside of the medical or health care environment. This creates the need to study cancer in patients' ordinary life contexts (e.g., Isaksson, Salander, Lilliehorn, & Laurell, 2016;Salander, Lilliehorn, Hamperg, & Kero, 2011). Previous research has focused on patients' quality of life and everyday life experiences after cancer treatments (e.g., Kerr, Ross, Jaques, & Cunningham-Burley, 2018;Pedresen, Koktved, & Nielsen, 2013;Salander, Bergenheim, & Henriksson, 2000;Sekse, Raaheim, Blaaka, & Gjengedal, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies show how cancer impacts all areas of everyday life: social relationships, work, routines, hobbies and the emotional and physical aspects of life. Isaksson et al (2016) and Salander et al (2011) argue that the actual impact depends on the individual patient's personal coping characteristics and life circumstances. This means, for example, how former challenges in a person's life can help them to cope with their cancer, or how facing unemployment can create additional pressures in daily life (Isaksson et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Isaksson et al (2016) and Salander et al (2011) argue that the actual impact depends on the individual patient's personal coping characteristics and life circumstances. This means, for example, how former challenges in a person's life can help them to cope with their cancer, or how facing unemployment can create additional pressures in daily life (Isaksson et al, 2016). From this viewpoint, dealing with cancer can be seen as an individual transition in the everyday life context (Isaksson et al, 2016;Salander et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stable, fragile and recreated – a qualitative study of agency in everyday life with breast and prostate cancer

Holmberg

2019

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Purpose: This study aims to explore how agency is constructed in everyday life with cancer in relation to daily activities and habits. Agency is approached as a key element of daily life existence, and it is constructed in terms of "acting in the world", self-behaviour, changing routines, identity expectations and life course. Methods: The study is based on a social constructionist approach and the data of 32 participants were gathered through a public call for narratives on "everyday life with breast and prostate cancer" in Finland in 2009. The analysis was conducted by utilizing a discursive research approach and coding. Results: Three categories of agency were identified: stable-where agency continues fluently after cancer; fragile-where the ability to take care of daily activities has deteriorated; and recreated-where living with cancer adapts or creates a new basis for daily living. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that everyday life activities and habits define and (de)construct agency, and that these constructions are tightly linked to the ill person's overall life situation, physical abilities and cultural context. Having cancer can create new challenges to agency in daily life but does not suppress agency.

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“…Longitudinal serial interviews provide additional insights into both the patient and family journey [38,39]. Conducting such a study for those identified as having a 'high risk' of developing recurrent HNC would be beneficial to further understand and learn from these experiences, especially as decisionmaking is recognised to be so complex.…”

Section: Implications and Unanswered Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative study exploring patient, family carer and healthcare professional perceptions of providing palliative care for advanced head and neck cancer

Mayland

Doughty

Rogers

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Purpose: To explore patient, family carer and healthcare professionals’ perspectives about providing palliative care for advanced head and neck cancer patients and potential components which could inform a future model of care. Methods: Using a naturalistic, interpretative approach, within Northwest England, a purposive sample of adult head and neck cancer patients was selected. Their family carers were also invited to participate. Healthcare professionals (representing head and neck surgery and specialist nursing; oncology; specialist palliative care; general practice and community nursing) were recruited. All participants underwent face-to-face or telephone interviews. A thematic approach, using a modified version of Colazzi’s framework, was used to analyse the data. Results: In total, 17 interviews were conducted (nine patients, four joint with family carers and eight healthcare professionals). Three main themes relating to challenges in providing palliative care were identified: the ‘need for support at critical moments’ in the patients’ disease trajectory; ‘communication challenges’ and ‘complexity of decision-making’. Additionally, three themes related to key components to inform a future model of care: ‘partnership model’; ‘timely and responsive engagement of Specialist Palliative Care’; and ‘good linkage and connections’. Conclusions: Conceptually, the identified ‘critical moments’ in the patients’ disease trajectory should be a focus for future interventions to help improve and support care. These interventions should direct improvements in the provision of information and psychological support. Models of palliative care for this population need to be developed in partnership with existing services to ensure care is delivered in a coordinated and timely manner.

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Living an everyday life with head and neck cancer 2–2.5 years post-diagnosis – A qualitative prospective study of 56 patients

Cited by 23 publications

References 35 publications

What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations? - An empirical study

What does an oncology social worker deal with in patient consultations? - An empirical study

Stable, fragile and recreated – a qualitative study of agency in everyday life with breast and prostate cancer

A qualitative study exploring patient, family carer and healthcare professional perceptions of providing palliative care for advanced head and neck cancer

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