Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the process of decision-making and learning of esophageal speech from being informed of the necessity for laryngectomy in patients with laryngeal and phayngeal cancer.
Data were collected through interviews and observations for eighteen patients who underwent laryngectomy, being analyzed by the grounded theory approach.
The study revealed that the esophageal speech learning process could be summarized as "rehabilitation process involving continuous distress and efforts" based on the following 3 categories: 'experience of conflicts and abandonment in laryngectomy', 'experience of the promotion of the continuation of rehabilitation' , and 'experience of resistance to the continuation of rehabilitation'. The process to conversation by esophageal speech involved great difficulties, but the continuation of rehabilitation toward the acquisition of esophageal speech was possible by 'experience of the promotion of the continuation of rehabilitation'. For the continuation of rehabilitation, support that allows changes from rehabilitation resistance experience to promotion experience is necessary.
