癌症病患住院期間之需求及其相關因素探討

Needs of Cancer Patients during Hospitalization

10.6386/CGN.200206_13(2).0002

蔡麗芬(Le-Fen Tsai)；郭美玲(Mei-Ling Kuo)；陳淑卿(Shu-Ching Chen)；張碧容(Pei-Rong Chang)

癌症病患 ； 需求 ； 住院期間 ； cancer patients ； needs ； hospitalization ； structured interviews

長庚護理

13卷2期（2002 / 06 / 01）

116 - 125

繁體中文

Cancer not only threatens life, hut also affects patients’ daily quality of life. The purposes of this study were to 1) preliminarily examine the needs of cancer patients during hospitalization, 2) examine the relationships among demographic characteristics, illness characteristics, and needs in cancer patients and 3) examine the relationships between self-care ability and needs in these patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling. Eighty-four subjects were recruited from medical and oncology inpatient departments in a medical center of Southern Taiwan. Structured interviews were conducted to collect data. The ”Patient Needs Assessment Tool” and the ”Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group” instruments were used. Demographic data was also collected. There were three major findings. First, the patients had a moderate degree of needs, especially psychological adjustment was the most frequently perceived need during hospitalization. Second, differences in needs were significantly related to patients' self-care ability. As anticipated, patients who needed total care perceived higher needs than those who did not need total care. Finally, inpatient days negatively correlated with need (p＜.001); radiotherapy frequency negatively correlated with inpatient frequency (p＜.05); radiotherapy and chemotherapy frequency positively correlated with needs (p＜.001; p＜.05); and inpatient frequency positively correlated with time of illness (p＜.001). Results suggest that nurses in clinical settings need to use effective communication skills in daily nursing activities, interviews, and psychological assessments in order to ascertain cancer patients' needs and perceptions. Such skills enhance patients' coping ability, help them manage emergency states and fear of feeling near death, and facilitate their development of a positive psychological state.

Cancer not only threatens life, hut also affects patients’ daily quality of life. The purposes of this study were to 1) preliminarily examine the needs of cancer patients during hospitalization, 2) examine the relationships among demographic characteristics, illness characteristics, and needs in cancer patients and 3) examine the relationships between self-care ability and needs in these patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling. Eighty-four subjects were recruited from medical and oncology inpatient departments in a medical center of Southern Taiwan. Structured interviews were conducted to collect data. The ”Patient Needs Assessment Tool” and the ”Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group” instruments were used. Demographic data was also collected. There were three major findings. First, the patients had a moderate degree of needs, especially psychological adjustment was the most frequently perceived need during hospitalization. Second, differences in needs were significantly related to patients' self-care ability. As anticipated, patients who needed total care perceived higher needs than those who did not need total care. Finally, inpatient days negatively correlated with need (p＜.001); radiotherapy frequency negatively correlated with inpatient frequency (p＜.05); radiotherapy and chemotherapy frequency positively correlated with needs (p＜.001; p＜.05); and inpatient frequency positively correlated with time of illness (p＜.001). Results suggest that nurses in clinical settings need to use effective communication skills in daily nursing activities, interviews, and psychological assessments in order to ascertain cancer patients' needs and perceptions. Such skills enhance patients' coping ability, help them manage emergency states and fear of feeling near death, and facilitate their development of a positive psychological state.