Patients' Expectations of Physiotherapeutic Treatment for Long-Term Side Effects After Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Rikke Klitlund Jensen, Sarah Jakobsen, Sigrid Velling Gundersen, Martin Faerch Andersen, Marianne Kongsgaard, Janus Laust Thomsen, Allan Riis

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the expectations of physiotherapeutic treatment of long-term side effects (LTSEs) after cancer among patients treated in physiotherapy clinics.

METHODS: This a qualitative interview study based on a phenomenological approach. Adult patients with LTSEs after cancer were recruited through The Danish Cancer Society and a private physiotherapy clinic in Denmark. Individual semi-structured interviews were carried out using Microsoft Teams based on an interview guide piloted before the interviews. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Sampling was conducted with a focus on variation in LTSE. The data were analyzed using Malterud's principles of systematic text condensation and coded in NVivo 12.

RESULTS: 2 males and 8 females with an average age of 55.8 years were interviewed for between 40 and 60 minutes from October to November 2020. Four main themes emerged from the interviews1: The importance of the physiotherapist's approach,2 the benefits of meeting patients with similar symptoms,3 the importance of receiving knowledge, and4 patients seeking to maintain their current state more often than aiming to improve their condition.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients consulting a physiotherapy clinic with LTSE after cancer prefer the physiotherapist to have knowledge about cancer and to be emphatic. Furthermore, patients prefer to meet like-minded people and expect support to maintain their current condition rather than improve their condition.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCancer Control
Volume28
Number of pages11
ISSN1073-2748
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021

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