Development of nursing care that supports the trajectory of breast cancer patients and their families to live with cancer and grow as a family

Abstract

Sustained research efforts have led to advances in the treatment of cancer. Treatment options include chemotherapy, surgery and pharmaceutical interventions but they can cause serious pain and long-term side effects. Support for patients throughout their diagnosis and treatment is crucial, as well as support for their network of friends and family. Professor Miwa Yamate, Kinjo Gakuin University, believes that a good family structure, strong family ties and resilience are key to approaching cancer diagnosis and treatment with a more positive mindset and greater acceptance. Currently, Yamate is working on a project that is clarifying a method of nursing care that supports growing as a family throughout the experience of living with cancer. She is conducting interviews with patients and their families in order to obtain their input in the development of a programme that encourages families to grow and supports patients and their families. This includes asking patients about their feelings when they were diagnosed with breast cancer, which will help inform the researchers about the emotions and challenges faced by patients and their families. The next step will involve the use of questionnaires based on the use of the post-traumatic stress scale and the sense of coherence scale to assess the impacts of these factors.