Clinical Encounter Experiences of Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a commonly occurring cancer among Hong Kong Chinese, especially in the relatively young population group. Since the disease carries a favorable prognosis, sequelae following treatment have become an important concern for patients suffering from NPC, particularly because of the strong interplay of psychological, social, and biological issues during their rehabilitation. In this qualitative study, in-depth, semistructured audiotaped interviews were undertaken with 32 patients receiving rehabilitation at the physiotherapy department of a regional teaching hospital in Hong Kong. The objective of the study was to examine the rehabilitation experiences of NPC survivors to identify factors that contributed to a satisfying clinical encounter experience. During the study, data collection and analysis using a grounded theory approach were concurrently conducted. The 3 main themes that shaped the rehabilitation experiences of NPC survivors were the patient-clinician relationship, participation in therapeutic alliance, and quality rehabilitation service provision. These, together with the identified needs of the participants, contributed to the participants' perceived health-related quality of life. A constructive clinical experience was perceived when their needs were met. The findings highlight the importance of patient-centeredness in the treatment delivery and a multifaceted role of clinicians in meeting the needs of this group of cancer survivors.

Improving quality of life through the routine use of the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer patients: main results of a cluster preference randomised controlled trial

“…The evaluation of HRQOL is complex with many factors involved [1]. For head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors, HRQOL is not only influenced by site of the tumour, stage and treatment [2] but shaped by patient-clinician relationship, identification of needs, participation in therapeutic alliance, and quality of the rehabilitation service provision [3]. Following treatment, HNC patients have a wide variety and level of unmet needs, with psychological unmet needs being most prevalent [4].…”

Changes Experienced in Quality of Life for Skull Base Surgical Patients: A Qualitative Case Study

“…Qualitative research methods have been used to better understand changes in QOL for patients with head and neck cancer. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] These studies, however, focus on patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancers, such as oral, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer. 12,[17][18][19] Although some of the experiences of these patients may overlap with those who have had skull base surgery, more research is needed in this area to ensure that the pre-and postsurgical needs of patients with these tumors are adequately met.…”

Perceived unmet supportive care needs and determinants of quality of life among head and neck cancer survivors: a research protocol

“…However, there was no focus on people with H&N cancer. To date, most research on cancer survival has been conducted on a Western population (Jefford et al 2008, Baravelli et al 2009, Harrison et al 2009) and work on Chinese populations is limited (Lee et al 2008, Chen et al 2009. There is a clear need to expand the body of culture-specific knowledge in this area.…”