University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK.
J Adv Nurs. 2023 Jun;79(6):2211-2223. doi: 10.1111/jan.15554. Epub 2022 Dec 24.
To explore family carer experiences of managing the process of receiving and breaking bad news about cancer.
Family carers' experiences of bad news are underrepresented in the literature. This study involved oncology staff with personal experience of caregiving and carers to develop broader insights into the range of needs and difficulties experienced by family members in the process of managing a cancer diagnosis. This can help facilitate subsequent interactions with healthcare professionals and improve continuity of care.
This is a descriptive qualitative study informed by the theory of social constructionism. Data were analysed using template analysis.
Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 4 healthcare professionals and 17 family carers between January and July 2018. A purposive sampling strategy was used. Interviews were transcribed verbatim to explore participant experiences and perspectives on family carers managing a cancer diagnosis.
Three key themes were identified: (1) receiving the bad news; (2) management of bad news and (3) interaction with healthcare and support services. These and associated subthemes are discussed, with recommendations for future research and practice.
There was variability in the experiences and needs of carers involved in receiving and breaking the bad news.
Although family members experienced a multitude of difficult emotions when the bad news was shared, they were not often able to discern help from healthcare professionals with sharing the diagnosis with the patient and others. This impacted on access to and use of healthcare and support services. Individualized approaches to communication are needed to enable carers to seek support and provide perspectives on the patient home environment and family structure. This can help tailor breaking the bad news and care plans.
Anonymised results were shared with family carers to validate the congruency of the codes with their experiences.
探索家庭护理人员在接受和传递癌症坏消息过程中的体验。
家庭护理人员对坏消息的体验在文献中代表性不足。本研究涉及有护理经验的肿瘤学工作人员和护理人员，以更广泛地了解家庭成员在管理癌症诊断过程中所经历的各种需求和困难。这有助于促进与医疗保健专业人员的后续互动，并提高护理的连续性。
这是一项描述性定性研究，受社会建构主义理论的启发。使用模板分析对数据进行分析。
2018 年 1 月至 7 月，使用半结构式访谈和焦点小组，与 4 名医疗保健专业人员和 17 名家庭护理人员收集数据。采用目的抽样策略。对访谈进行逐字转录，以探索参与者对家庭护理人员管理癌症诊断的体验和观点。
确定了三个关键主题：（1）接收坏消息；（2）坏消息的管理；（3）与医疗保健和支持服务的互动。讨论了这些主题和相关的子主题，并提出了未来研究和实践的建议。
参与接收和传递坏消息的护理人员的体验和需求存在差异。
尽管当坏消息被分享时，家庭成员经历了多种困难的情绪，但他们往往无法辨别医疗保健专业人员在与患者和他人分享诊断方面的帮助。这影响了他们对医疗保健和支持服务的获取和使用。需要采用个性化的沟通方法，使护理人员能够寻求支持，并提供对患者家庭环境和家庭结构的看法。这有助于调整坏消息传递和护理计划。
将匿名化的结果与家庭护理人员分享，以验证代码与他们的体验的一致性。
