Introduction:
Supportive Care Needs (SCN) refers to support required by patients and their families to better cope with cancer. Many rural radiation therapy (RT) patients stay away from home for significant periods of time for treatment(1). They have reported concern over travelling for RT, which can lead to the negative effects of both social isolation (2,3) and cultural disparity (4). Patients often have a range of complex SCN and there is a lack of in-depth study of rural patient perspectives going through RT. The study aimed to explore and understand experiences of being away from home, consider patient perspectives of their own SCN and identify recurring themes. Giving health professionals a deeper understanding of how patients think and feel and provide a foundation of patient-centred insights for further research.
Methods:
Thirteen patients participated in face-to-face unstructured interviews. All stayed away from home for RT for more than three days-a-week for more than three weeks. Data saturation was reached with 13 patients. The data was subject to interpretive phenomenological analysis: a process of naive understanding and structural analysis was followed by comprehensive understanding and reflection(5).
Results:
Two themes emerged which influenced patient experiences of their care; values and identity, and expectations. Patients discussed the value that they place on rural-life, community connections, family and healthcare. They referred to experiences of health service continuity and information which helps manage expectations. SCN discussed fell into three categories; practical, physical and psycho-social.
Discussion:
Experiences of culturally appropriate patient-centred supportive care improve control and confidence as patients receive treatment away from home. Patient wellbeing is influenced by compassionate, caring and respectful connections with others. Several practical ways of better managing expectations and promoting the psycho-social wellbeing of these patients are supported. Future research can be shaped by valuable insights from these lived-experiences to enhance and continually develop healthcare services.