Abstract
The purpose of this research is to clarify conceptual characteristics of a feeling of dyspnea among cancer patients. Thirty five articles were identified using the medical article search engines CINAHL and Ichushi (Japan Medical Abstracts Society). Then, attributes, antecedents, and consequences of concepts were extracted by the techniques of L. O. Walker's and K. C. Avant's concept analysis. The analysis extracted 9 attributes such as "a feeling arising from multifactorial interactions", "out-of-control feeling", "negative influence on activities of daily living", and "negative influence on spirituality", 5 antecedents such as "characteristics of disease and treatment of cancer", and "physiological and functional changes of body", and 3 consequences such as "threat to keeping the humanity", and "the strengthening of negative mood". Through these analyses, a feeling of dyspnea among cancer patients was redefined as "uncontrollable perception and subjective evaluation showing discomfort and pains on respiration arising from multifactorial interactions, and the experience of symptoms among cancer patients including their physical, psychological, social and spiritual responses to them"
