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Kim: Life Experience of Inpatients with Recurrent Breast Cancer
Original Article
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2011; 41(2): 214-224.

Published online: 30 April 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2011.41.2.214

Life Experience of Inpatients with Recurrent Breast Cancer

Young Ju Kim

Full-time Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Daejeon Health Sciences College, Daejeon, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Kim, Young Ju. Department of Nursing, Daejeon Health Sciences College, 77-3 Gayang 2-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon 300-711, Korea. Tel: +82-42-670-9378, Fax: +82-42-670-9370, yjkim@hit.ac.kr

Received 8 January 2010       Accepted 15 April 2011

© 2011 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Abstract

Purpose

Understanding daily life experiences of patients admitted to hospital with recurrent breast cancer.

Methods

The grounded theory method was used for this study.

Results

Consistent comparative analysis was used throughout the study to obtain the results. Results showed that inpatients with recurrent breast cancer experience 'a co-existence of life suffering and fear of death'. The causal condition of this result was determined to be 'patient's response to cancer recurrence (acceptance/despair)', including contextual conditions such as, 'previous experience with cancer treatment', 'patient's current physical condition', and 'treatment methods for recurrent cancer'. Intervening conditions, such as 'a strong will to live', 'family support', 'moral support providers', and action/interaction strategies were found to provide patients with 'a strength to live'. Shown in these results, inpatients with recurrent breast cancer were seen to have a simultaneous 'hope for life and fear of death'.

Conclusion

When providing nursing services to inpatients with recurrent breast cancer, people must recognize there is a notable difference between individual patients' contextual conditions and interactive strategies. Henceforth, proper cognitive nursing must be provided which encourages patients to maintain a strong will to overcome the many hardships of treatment as well as physical nursing, such as management of side effects caused by chemotherapy.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Recurrence, Life experience, Grounded theory

Figures and Tables

Figure 1
Life process of inpatients with recurrent breast cancer.
jkan-41-214-g001
Table 1
Concepts, Subcategories and Categories
jkan-41-214-i001

Notes

This article is based on a part of the first author's doctoral thesis from Chungnam University.

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