School of Nursing, Duke University, 307 Trent Drive, Durham, NC, 27710, United States.
School of Nursing, Duke University, 307 Trent Drive, Durham, NC, 27710, United States; School of Medicine, Duke University, 106 Science Drive, Durham, NC, 27708, United States.
Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2020 Dec;49:101860. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2020.101860. Epub 2020 Oct 20.
Patients with gastric cancer experience an increased symptom burden with multiple co-occurring symptoms. Knowledge of patients' symptom experiences and self-management for these symptoms is limited. The purpose of this study was to describe multiple co-occurring symptoms, symptom experiences, and symptom self-management strategies in patients with gastric cancer.
A qualitative descriptive approach was used for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten American participants (median age 52.5 years, 50% female, 70% African American). Content analysis was used to explore their symptoms, experiences, and self-management strategies.
Four themes were identified: perceptions of multiple co-occurring symptoms, complex and dynamic nature of symptom experiences, living with multiple co-occurring symptoms, and symptom self-management strategies (i.e., medications for symptoms, information seeking from the clinician team, lifestyle modification, psychosocial and spiritual support).
Our findings provide new insights into how patients with gastric cancer perceive and interpret their multiple co-occurring symptoms, contribute to our understanding of the role that inter-individual variability might play in symptom experiences, and highlight a range of self-management strategies for managing multiple co-occurring symptoms. Oncology nurses need to assess symptoms on an ongoing basis, educate patients about multiple co-occurring symptoms, and develop and test person-centered self-management interventions for these patients to enhance their symptom relief and quality of life.
胃癌患者存在多种共病症状，症状负担加重。患者对自身症状体验和症状自我管理的了解有限。本研究旨在描述胃癌患者的多种共病症状、症状体验和症状自我管理策略。
本研究采用定性描述方法。对 10 名美国参与者（中位年龄 52.5 岁，50%为女性，70%为非裔美国人）进行半结构式访谈。采用内容分析法探讨他们的症状、体验和自我管理策略。
确定了 4 个主题：对多种共病症状的感知、症状体验的复杂性和动态性、多种共病症状的生活和症状自我管理策略（即症状的药物治疗、向临床医生团队寻求信息、生活方式的改变、心理社会和精神支持）。
我们的研究结果提供了新的见解，即胃癌患者如何感知和解释他们的多种共病症状，有助于我们理解个体间变异性在症状体验中可能发挥的作用，并强调了一系列用于管理多种共病症状的自我管理策略。肿瘤护士需要持续评估症状，教育患者有关多种共病症状的知识，并为这些患者制定和测试以患者为中心的自我管理干预措施，以增强他们的症状缓解和生活质量。
