Oncology nurses' experiences of meeting with men with cancer-related fatigue: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND

Cancer treatment often causes side effects, among which fatigue is common and can persist for years among disease-free cancer survivors. Living with fatigue can lead to reduced life expectancy and quality of life.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To describe oncology nurses' experiences of meeting with men with cancer and talking about cancer-related fatigue.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The data were collected via semi-structured interviews with nine oncology nurses recruited using a purposeful sampling method and analysed using thematic content analysis. This qualitative design was conducted to describe and interpret the content of experiences.

ETHICAL ISSUES AND APPROVAL

The study was approved by a regional Ethical Review Board, and research ethical principles were followed.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed one major theme, namely take the whole person into consideration, and three subthemes: the importance of (i) establishing trust in the nurse-patient relationship, (ii) supporting the patient's understanding of cancer-related fatigue, and (iii) managing the challenging emotions experienced by patients. The major theme describes the oncology nurses' approach when meeting with men with cancer-related fatigue.

CONCLUSION

The results provide insight into how oncology nurses can increase their knowledge about fatigue to establish trust in nurse-patient relationships. They can acquire knowledge about how to make men with cancer-related fatigue feel safe when handling their daily lives despite their fatigue. Oncology nurses require knowledge, presence and commitment in their interactions with men with cancer-related fatigue to be able to take the whole person into consideration. This study demonstrates the importance of the approach oncology nurses take when interacting with men with cancer-related fatigue and the strategies required when talking about cancer-related fatigue.