Experience of Nurses about Outcomes of Therapeutic Communication with Patients Suffering from Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Therapeutic communication with patients suffering from cancer is the main part of health care-human communication role for achieving positive results. This study aims to explain the outcomes of nurses’ therapeutic communication with patients suffering from cancer. Method: This study was performed with a conventional content analysis approach in the oncology wards of educational and medical centers in northwest of Iran. Purposive sampling was used to select 18 participants in 2020. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and analyzed at the same time as data collection. Results: Data analysis: Two main themes; six Main categories and nineteen Subcategories were identified: 1. Self-actualization: Inner strength (significance and satisfaction of life, professional self-confidence, patient support role, being useful from the viewpoint of patient's family), self- construction based on moral values (proficiency, encouraging sense of altruism, independence in clinical reasoning, and moral courage), spiritual elevation (emergence of spirituality in nurses’ appearance and communicative behavior, realistic approach to life, spiritual raising interaction, Acquiring religion-based strategy), mutual maturity (finding new goals, boosting patient confidence). 2. Nurse's Good sense of happiness with a positive attitude: Nurse Satisfaction (peace of mind, usefulness), improved positive mutual attitude (trust as the result of positive communication, satisfaction with patient's good feeling, patient comfort); Conclusion: According to the research findings, since nurses play a major role in taking caring of these patients and meeting their psychological-spiritual requirements, more attention should be paid to factors, such as management policies, education and clinical environment, and motivational factors of this group.