Hope of End-stage Cancer Patients

Abstract

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify hope expressed by end-stage cancer patients and the state of changes in their hope over time, and to find out nursing interventions that could encourage those patients to have hope as a source of power to live. Details of hope were studied in seven end-stage cancer patients by the participant observation method and interview, and the following results were obtained through qualitative analysis.

The patients expressed multiple hope in almost the entire study period, and contents of the expressed hope as well as cognition, emotion, and behaviors associated with the hope altered over time. Hope expressed by the end-stage cancer patients was finally summarized into 12 items, including “living as he or she wishes”, “living in a good relationship with family members”, and “connectedness with other individuals”. More, the following11 items were extracted, as the true nature of hope, from the import and substance contained in their hope : 1) maintenance of self independence and freedom, 2) love of family, 3) social self, 4) a way of life, 5) peacefulness, 6) a desire to cure, 7) previous self, 8) existence of self, 9) a tendency toward reliance upon others, 10) religious faith, and 11) self to be lived.

True nature of hope is thought to be the source of power to live in end-stage cancer patients. Nursing interventions that encourage these patients to have hope as a source of power to live until the last day of life should be aimed at creating an environment that makes the patients build up hope by retaining the true nature of hope, and at supporting and fostering their hope through active involvement in the process of building up the hope.