Meaning and Structure of Hope Held by Patients with Hematological Cancer Who are Undergoing Long-Term Care

Abstract

Abstract

The meaning and structure of hope were inductively examined in patients with hematological cancer who were under long-term care. Using an ethnographic approach, 7 patients were interviewed 41 times over a period of 3 months. The results were expressed in the following 6 categories : (1) the will to live ; (2) simply wishing to get better ; (3) motivation for living ; (4) inconvenience and irritation ; (5) no hope for the future until treatment is completed ; and (6) coming to terms with the disease. The hope of patients with hematological cancer who are under long-term care was expressed by the theme of “living”.

Their hope for “living” was expressed in the category that described the will to live. The category that consisted of reasons why they simply wish to get better explained how they perceive living under these circumstances. The category consisting of things that motivate one to live involved 5 aspects : 1) interpersonal relationship, 2) the fruits of their past experiences, 3) long-term care environment, 4) fear of death and dying, and 5) uncertainty. The category that consisted of inconvenience and irritation also confirmed the aspects corresponding to these findings. Cancer patients' inconvenience and irritation were caused by a situation in which they could not make their way to the future until their treatment was completed. They coped with that situation by coming to terms with their disease.

This study described the structure in which hematological cancer patients perceived their experiences while undergoing long-term care in their own way, maintained a positive attitude toward living in spite of inconvenient and irritating situations and continued to hope for the future.