Experiences of caring for cancer patients after chemotherapy

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world, it has resulted in 8.8 million deaths; that is, one in six deaths are due to this disease, among the consequences of suffering from this disease, is the psychological impact that affects not only the person, but also his closest family and social environment. The experience of living with this disease and receiving chemotherapy treatment, generates multiple changes that the patient, most of the time, is not prepared to face; especially when care is provided at home.Objective: Describe the experiences of cancer patients about home care, post-chemotherapy.Methodology: Qualitative approach, in-depth interview technique and participating observation were used; interviews were conducted up to theoretical saturation. The population consisted of 6 participants with different diagnoses of cancer. The thematic content analysis method was used for the interpretation of the information. Results: The analysis identified 399 live codes, 27 subcategories and 5 categories: 1.-Experiences of living with cancer and chemotherapy; 2.-Home care experiences; 3.-Family care experiences; 4.-Experiences of care of symptoms of chemotherapy; 5.-Experiences of care change of attitude in the face of chemotherapy. Conclusion:The experiences they develop throughout this process are emotional and physical changes; stop doing their daily activities and face family and economic challenges involving the acquisition of medicines and the side effects of chemotherapy; they also seek to know more about the disease itself and how to minimize its effects.