Nutritional Challenges of Gastric Cancer Patients From the Perspectives of Patients, Family Caregivers, and Health Professionals: A Qualitative Study Publisher Pubmed

Summary: A study found gastric cancer patients and caregivers face emotional and dietary challenges, urging better support. #CancerCare #Nutrition

Taleghani F¹ ; Ehsani M² ; Farzi S¹ ; Farzi S¹ ; Adibi P⁴ ; Moladoost A⁵ ; Shahriari M¹ ; Tabakhan M⁶
Source: Supportive Care in Cancer Published:2021

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to explore the perceptions of gastric cancer patients, their family caregivers, physicians, and nurses of nutritional challenges. Methods: Using a descriptive qualitative method, this study was conducted in 2019–2020. Twenty participants (6 patients, 6 family caregivers, 3 physicians, and 5 nurses) were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and examined using qualitative content analysis. Results: Data analysis revealed three categories, each with two subcategories: eating, an unpleasant experience that contains “a feeling like hyperemesis gravidarum” and “childish food excuses”; flexibility while adhering to a proper diet, which consists of “dietary dos and don’ts” and “nutritional leniency”; and nutrition with distress that contains “patient’s sense of being an extra burden” and “provision of nutrition with suffering in caregivers.” Conclusion: Because of the significant physical and psychological impact of nutritional problems on patients and their caregivers, the need to provide care and education to these patients and their families using a multidisciplinary team is becoming more important. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.