From will to live to will to die: oncologists, nurses, and social workers identification of suicidality in cancer patients

Granek, Leeat; Nakash, Ora; Ariad, Samuel; Chen, Wendy; Birenstock-Cohen, Shira; Shapira, Shahar; Ben‐David, Merav

doi:10.1007/s00520-017-3795-4

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The guiding principles of GT include the simultaneous collection of data and data analysis, developing themes that are grounded in the data as opposed to formulating preconceived categories, using the constant comparison method, and developing a conceptual model out of the data. As noted above, this study was part of a larger project . The methodology for the present study is documented extensively in these published reports.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The methodology for the present study is documented extensively in these published reports. The conceptual theoretical model out of this project was published in a previous manuscript . Sixty‐one oncology HCPs at two cancer centers in central and southern Israel were recruited and interviewed about what they perceived to be the causes of mental health distress in their patients.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These inconsistent findings may pose a problem for oncology health care professionals (HCPs) who are responsible for their patient's care and need to identity and respond to patient's mental health distress. In a series of previous studies on this topic, our team interviewed oncologists, nurses, and social workers about how they identify and respond to mental health distress and suicidality in their cancer patients . We found that on the whole, oncology HCPs faced significant barriers in both identifying and responding to distress .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a series of previous studies on this topic, our team interviewed oncologists, nurses, and social workers about how they identify and respond to mental health distress and suicidality in their cancer patients. [18][19][20][21] We found that on the whole, oncology HCPs faced significant barriers in both identifying and responding to distress. 18,22 As part of this larger project, and as a result of the limited research on the potential causes of distress among cancer patients, we became interested in exploring oncology HCPs' perceptions about the causes of their patient's distress.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Oncology health care professionals' perspectives on the causes of mental health distress in cancer patients

et al. 2019

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Objective To explore oncologists, social workers, and nurses' perceptions about the causes of their cancer patient's mental health distress. Methods The grounded theory (GT) method of data collection and analysis was used. Sixty‐one oncology health care professionals were interviewed about what they perceived to be the causes of mental health distress in their patients. Analysis involved line‐by‐line coding and was inductive, with codes and categories emerging from participants' narratives. Results Oncology health care professionals were sensitive in their perceptions of their patients' distress. The findings were organized into three categories, namely, disease‐related factors, social factors, and existential factors. Disease‐related themes included side effects of the disease and treatment, loss of bodily functions, and body image concerns as causing patient's mental health distress. Social‐related themes included socio‐economic stress, loneliness/lack of social support, and family‐related distress. Existential themes included dependence/fear of being a burden, death anxiety, and grief and loss. Conclusions Oncology health care professionals were able to name a wide range of causes of mental health distress in their patients. These findings highlight the need to have explicit conversations with patients about their mental status and to explore their understanding of their suffering. A patient‐centered approach that values the patient's conceptualization of their problem and their narrative to understanding their illness can improve the patient‐provider relationship and facilitate discussions about patient‐centered treatments.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Oncology health care professionals' perspectives on the causes of mental health distress in cancer patients

et al. 2019

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“…This study was part of a larger project looking at how oncologists, nurses and social workers identify suicidality in their cancer patients (Granek, Nakash, Ariad, et al, in press; Granek, Nakash, Ben‐David, et al, in press). The grounded theory method (GT) of data collection and analysis was used in the study design (Charmaz, ; Glaser & Strauss, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oncologists’ identification of mental health distress in cancer patients: Strategies and barriers

et al. 2018

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The purpose of this research was to examine oncologists' perspectives on indicators of mental health distress in patients: what strategies they use to identify these indicators, and what barriers they face in this task. Twenty-three oncologists were interviewed, and the grounded theory method of data collection and analysis was used. Oncologists perceived distress to be a normative part of having cancer and looked for affective, physical, verbal and behavioural indicators using a number of strategies. Barriers to identification of mental health distress included difficulty in differentiating between mental health distress and symptoms of the disease, and lack of training. A systematic, time-efficient assessment of symptoms of emotional distress is critical for identification of psychiatric disorders among patients and differentiating normative emotional responses from psychopathology. Clinical bias and misdiagnosis can be a consequence of an ad hoc, intuitive approach to assessment, which can have consequences for patients and their families. Once elevated risk is identified for mental health distress, the patient can be referred to specialised care that can offer evidence-based treatments.

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Exposure to suicidality in professionals working with oncology patients: An online survey

2020

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Objective: To explore and describe exposure to suicidality in healthcare providers (HCP) working with oncological patients. Special emphasis was put on five central aspects from the HCPs perspective: Exposure, Confidence, Expertise, Distress, and Education. Methods: A 48-item online questionnaire was developed and distributed to HCPs working with cancer patients. Three hundred fifty-four answered questionnaires were analyzed. Results: Overall 83.3% of HCPs reported to have encountered at least one suicidal patient in the last year. Feeling confident in talking about suicidality was reported by 72.1% of HCPs, with 71.2% of nurses reporting feeling insecure compared with only 5.1% of psychotherapists. Similarly, 22.3% of HCPs felt overwhelmed when confronted with a patient who substantiated his suicidality during consultation. A lack of personal knowledge concerning suicidality in general and in oncological patients in particular, was reported by 39.6% and 49.8%, respectively. In total, 88.1% of HCPs reported feeling distressed when confronted with suicidality, while 81.1% of participants wanted further education regarding suicidality in cancer patients despite that 73.2% had already received some sort of psycho-oncology education. Conclusions: Despite the well-documented fact of elevated suicide rates in cancer patients, there remain deficits in knowledge, which induce feelings of insecurity and helplessness in HCPs. There is a demand for further education concerning the treatment of suicidal cancer patients. Therefore, special curricula addressing this topic should be devised. A general debate about suicidality in cancer patients could help raise awareness of this problem and generate means of prevention.

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From will to live to will to die: oncologists, nurses, and social workers identification of suicidality in cancer patients

Cited by 19 publications

References 41 publications

Oncology health care professionals' perspectives on the causes of mental health distress in cancer patients

Oncology health care professionals' perspectives on the causes of mental health distress in cancer patients

Oncologists’ identification of mental health distress in cancer patients: Strategies and barriers

Exposure to suicidality in professionals working with oncology patients: An online survey

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