Self−care Abilities in Cancer Patients in the Treatment Phase

Abstract

Abstract

Various self‒care activities are continuously performed by many cancer patients who undergo cancer therapy. To perform self‒care activities, it is important that the patients acquire and utilize self‒care abilities, which form the basis of the activities. This study aimed to elucidate the self‒care abilities essential for cancer patients undergoing cancer therapy. An interview survey was performed for 20 cancer patients undergoing cancer therapy, after obtaining their informed consent. To raise the reliability, content analysis ‒ the epistemology and logic of which were clarified by K. Krippendorff ‒ was performed on the results obtained in the interview survey. Cancer patients were found to acquire self‒care abilities from their own experiences or through nurses and other medical professionals. The following 5 major abilities were found to be important：“to detect changes in physical condition”, “to independently judge and select health‒related behaviors”, “to focus toward positive thinking without adhering to the existence of cancer”, “to maintain relationships with others and to adjust his/her social life”, and “to review his/her lifestyle and to pursue self‒development activities”. There were 11 minor abilities. These self‒care abilities were found to be important for stimulating self‒care activities.