The experiences and needs of patients attending a cancer support group.

This paper explores the experiences of people who, following a diagnosis of cancer, initially received treatment in a conventional hospital setting under the direction of professional health-care workers and then joined a cancer support group. In this study it is assumed that an increased awareness of the experiences and needs of patients with a malignant disease will enhance the ability of professional health-care workers to provide more effective care and to meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of cancer patients. A phenomenological approach was employed in an attempt to understand the experiences from the perspective of the respondents in the study.