Integrating self-management into daily life following primary treatment: head and neck cancer survivors’ perspectives
Background Self-management may help cancer survivors to better deal with challenges to their physical, functional, social and psychological well-being presented by cancer and its treatment. Nonetheless, little is known about how people integrate cancer self-management practices into their daily live...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of cancer survivorship 2019-02, Vol.13 (1), p.43-55 |
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Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Background
Self-management may help cancer survivors to better deal with challenges to their physical, functional, social and psychological well-being presented by cancer and its treatment. Nonetheless, little is known about how people integrate cancer self-management practices into their daily lives. The aim of this study was to describe and characterise the processes through which head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors attempt to integrate self-management into their daily lives following primary treatment.
Methods
Using a purposeful critical case sampling method, 27 HNC survivors were identified through four designated cancer centres in Ireland and participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
Results
Six themes describing HNC survivors’ attempts to integrate self-management into their lives following treatment were identified:
grappling with having to self-manage
,
trying out self-management strategies
,
becoming an expert self-manager
,
struggling to integrate self-management strategies into daily life
,
avoiding recommended self-management
and
interpreting self-management.
Conclusions
This is the first study to describe HNC survivors’ attempts to integrate self-management into their daily lives following primary treatment. The findings indicate that HNC survivors exhibit highly individualised approaches to self-management integration and abandon self-management strategies that fail to meet their own specific needs.
Implications for Cancer Survivors
Survivors may benefit from skills training and structured support to assist their transition between in-patient care and having to self-manage after primary treatment, and/or ongoing support to deal with persistent and recurring challenges such as eating difficulties and fear of recurrence. |
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ISSN: | 1932-2259 1932-2267 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s11764-018-0726-4 |