Abstract
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the psychological stress caused by numbness during colorectal cancer chemotherapy and methods for addressing the stress, and then to explore methods to help patients continue their treatment while maintaining their QOL. The subjects were 16 patients who had received ≥ 10 doses of oxaliplatin at a total dosage of ≥ 850 mg/m 2 , and who agreed to participate in this study. A semi-structural interview using an interview guide was conducted and qualitative inductive analysis was performed. Based on the results, the psychological stress could be classified into three categories: “anxiety and a helpless feeling related to un-selfcontrollable numbness,” “aversion or sadness towards the numbness constraining their behavior,” and “a sense of alienation due to numbness.” The methods for addressing the stresses were classified into two categories: “To convince them to accept the numbness by changing their understanding of numbness,” and “To explore a method to address the numbness while enlisting othersʼ cooperation.” The findings suggested that the nursing staff must obtain details of the patientʼs psychological stress associated with the numbness and devise a method to address the stress both objectively and subjectively, detect anxiety and/or depression early, and determine the feasibility of continuing treatment subjectively.
