The Priorities of Discharge Training According to Lung Cancer Patients and Health Care Workers: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONGlobally, lung cancer accounts for 11.6% and 18.4% of all cancer cases and deaths respectively1. In 2018, lung cancer accounted for 1.79 million deaths globally, with 2.09 million new cases diagnosed. (1). The chemotherapy used in cancer treatment aims to stop or eliminate the growth and proliferation of tumor cells without damaging the patient's normal cells. However, chemotherapeutic agents may cause side effects such as fatigue, sleep problems, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, suppression of bone marrow, alopecia, mucositis, skin problems, neurological problems, pain, eye problems and sexual dysfunctions. In addition, cancer treatment causes distress, pain and anxiety in individuals (2). Patients need training to cope with their diagnosis and treatment. An important part of patient education is discharge training. Discharge is a process starting ABSTRACT Purpose: This study was carried out to determine the discharge training priorities of lung cancer patients, their nurses and doctors after chemotherapy using the card-sorting technique. Methods:The study sample consisted of patients with lung cancer (n = 60) who received care in the Chemotherapy Clinic and nurses (n = 25) and doctors (n = 25) who give care to these patients. The data were collected using the sociodemographic information form and ten cards with discharge training related subjects who were asked to be ranked in order of importance. Frequency, percentage, arithmetic average, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for data analysis.Results: As a result of the analyzes, it was determined that the average age of the patients was 61.91 ± 7.27, the average age of the doctors was 27.56 ± 1.78, and the average age of the nurses was 36 ± 6.52. It has been determined that there are differences between the doctors, nurses and patients in their ranking of the priority given to learning subjects in many aspects. In addition, while there was no significant difference between the patients' positioning the learning subjects according to their gender, it was determined that there was a significant difference according to the stage of cancer. Conclusion:According to these results, doctors and nurses should determine the primary learning needs of patients by using card sorting technique prior to training. In this way, it can be ensured that each patient / relative takes an active role in the management of the disease and that the education is more effective.