Objective The aim is to understand the experiences and views of oncology nurses about the unmet care needs of older cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Nurses play the key role in evaluating and determining the needs of this special group. Method A phenomenological descriptive qualitative study with convenience sampling was used. Participants were referred by the Turkish Oncology Nursing Society. The study participants were 12 nurses aged 34–53 years, with oncology experience between 5 and 27 years. The data were collected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim with concurrent analyses and data collection. Thematic content analysis was used to determine common domains. Results The study data were categorized into 3 contexts, 12 themes, and 37 subthemes. The first context, “unmet needs”, includes physical care, psychological care, and social care themes. The second context, “barriers to meeting those needs”, comprises the theme of patient characteristics, attitude of family, attitude of the nurses/healthcare team, health system, and culture. The last context is “suggestions for meeting needs”. Nurses play an important role in identifying and meeting unmet psychosocial needs. Significance of results The study indicated that older cancer patients had problems in identifying, expressing, and making demands for their needs and that their culture contributed to this situation. Nurses serving in the outpatient chemotherapy units should conduct a holistic assessment of older cancer patients, be aware that these patients may not be able to express their needs, be more sensitive toward them, and ensure that the voice of the older patients is heard.

Objective: This study investigated whether there was a difference in unmet supportive care needs between older and younger cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. Background: Physiological, physical, cognitive, and social functions, which play a key role in coping with cancer, are impaired due to aging. Age-related physiological changes and psychosocial factors and comorbid medical conditions make some of the needs of older cancer patients unique and complex. At the heart of meeting these needs lies the concept of supportive care. First step of meeting their needs is to determine these needs. Study Design and Methods: The study was conducted in the Daytime Treatment Unit of the oncology hospital of a university in Ankara, Turkey. The study sample consisted of 93 patients aged 65 years or older and 93 patients under 65 years of age. Both groups were similar in terms of sex, cancer type, and chemotherapy protocols. Data were collected using a Patient Information Form and Supportive Care Needs Scale-Short Turkish Version and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: Participants had a median total score of 1.92. Their “daily life needs” and “sexuality needs” subscale scores were highest and lowest, respectively. Older patients had lower median total scores than younger patients. Younger patients had higher median “health care and information needs” and “sexuality needs” subscale scores than older patients. Conclusion: Elderly patients reported fewer unmet needs than younger patients. This may be due to age-related cultural factors as they may have difficulty expressing their needs. Implications: Results suggest to focus on the fact that patients' needs change with age and that they have difficulty expressing their needs.

Yaşlanma süreci fiziksel, psikolojik ve sosyal değişimleri bünyesinde barındırır. Yaşlanma sürecinin beraberinde getirdiği psikososyal sorunlara uyum sağlamak durumunda olan yaşlı, sürece kanserin de eklenmesiyle zorlu bir yaşantının içine girebilmektedir. Hem yaşlı kanser hastası hem de yakınları için zorlu bir mücadeleye dönüşen bu süreçte, yaşlı kanser hastalarının benzersiz ve karmaşık ihtiyaçları ortaya çıkabilmektedir. Bu ihtiyaçların karşılanmasında hastaların bakımında büyük yer kaplayan "destekleyici bakım" kavramı önem kazanmaktadır. Destekleyici bakım, hasta ve aileyi merkeze alarak, bütüncül bakımın sağlanmasını hedefler. Böylece, kanser hastalarının fiziksel olarak rahatlığı ve fonksiyonelliği yanı sıra sosyal, bilişsel, ekonomik, psikolojik ve spritüal iyilik halini arttırılmış olur. Destekleyici bakım, uyum süreci, bakım memnuniyeti ve yaşam kalitesi ile sıkı bir ilişki içerisindedir. Sağlık hizmeti ve iletişim, günlük yaşam aktiviteleri, cinsel ve psikolojik boyutlarını kapsayan destekleyici bakım gereksinimleri, sunulan hizmet, bireysel ve kültürel özelliklerle değişim gösterebilmektedir. Çok boyutlu, benzersiz ve karmaşık gereksinimleri olan bu özel grubun ihtiyaç duyduğu bakımı alabilmesi, bakımı verecek olan hemşirelerin sistematik ve kanıta dayalı yaklaşımları benimsemesi ve hasta ve ailesine işbirlikçi bir tutumla yaklaşması ile mümkün olacaktır. Bu derlemenin amacı, yaşlı kanser hastasının benzersiz ve karmaşık olabilen destekleyici bakım ihtiyaçlarını incelemek ve sağlık bakım vericilerin, yaşlı kanser hastalarının karşılanmamış bakım gereksinimlerini tanımaları ve ele almalarında yararlanabilecekleri metni Türkçe literatüre kazandırmaktır. Anahtar kelimeler: İhtiyaç tespiti, kanser tedavi hizmetleri, sağlık hizmetleri gereksinim ve talepleri, yaşlılar için sağlık hizmetleri

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