The role of hope in patients with cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To synthesize the literature, develop generalizations, and identify issues that should be evaluated in the future in regard to hope and patients with cancer.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Twenty-six research articles published from 1982-2005 met the criteria for review. Four major themes emerged: (a) exploring the level of hope in patients with cancer, (b) discovering how patients cope with a cancer diagnosis, (c) identifying strategies that patients with cancer commonly use to maintain hope, and (d) identifying nursing interventions used to assist patients with cancer in maintaining and fostering hope.

CONCLUSIONS

The concept of hope should be developed systematically to extend knowledge and build a logical program of research based on previous studies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Nurses need to develop new interventions to foster patients' hope and new instruments that can be used to measure outcomes.