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. 2023 Dec;39(6):151508.
doi: 10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151508. Epub 2023 Oct 11.

Exploring Experiences Among People Diagnosed With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

H Legge  1 , K Toohey  2 , P S Kavanagh  3 , C Paterson  4
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Free article

Exploring Experiences Among People Diagnosed With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

H Legge et al. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2023 Dec.
Free article

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the experiences of people diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data sources: Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews conducted with people affected by cancer in the Australian context. Following institutional ethical approval, interviews were conducted over Microsoft Teams and Zoom platforms and complied with confidentiality requirements. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed, and emergent themes were developed using thematic analysis to understand patient experiences of cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was disruptive to the daily experiences of supportive care. Four overarching themes were identified related to: 1) the impact on accessing healthcare services, 2) encounters with healthcare professionals, 3) the impact on daily living, and 4) the impact of COVID on psychological well-being.

Implications for nursing practice: As the COVID-19 pandemic held global consequences on cancer practices, it is recommended that nursing and other multidisciplinary healthcare professionals reflect upon these findings, in the context of planning for future pandemics. We encourage further exploration into the sustainability of telehealth services universally, given the issues highlighted in this study.

Keywords: Accessibility; COVID-19; Cancer; Supportive care; Sustainability; Telehealth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.