Abstract
The purpose of this study was to survey the level of support offered by the nursing staff to cancer patients making treatment-related decisions and the factors affecting the execution of such support. We surveyed 930 nurses from general hospitals or cancer centers in Japan. The nurses responded to questions concerning the level of support offered for 20 items of nursing help related to the explanation of the treatment method by the doctor and 10 items of information provided by the nursing staff. A factorial analysis revealed that for the items concerning nursing help related to the explanation of the treatment method by the doctor, “Understanding and psychological support for the contents of the explanation” was excellently executed, but “Adjustments for the place in which the doctor's explanation was received by the patient” was inadequate. Moreover, “Information about treatment” was excellently provided, but “Information about Life” was insufficient. The factor scores were significantly correlated with the nurses' ongoing studies, participation in training associations, and guidance from senior nurses regarding the support of treatment-related decision making after the nurses had graduated from nurses' training school (university or junior college etc.). This result indicates that not only ongoing studies after acquiring experience at a medical institution, but also the guidance of senior nurses who are well versed in cancer nursing might be useful for improving the support of cancer patients making treatment-related decisions.
