Sök artiklar i SveMed+

Tidskrift

Sammanfattning

14 male patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer participated in the Group treatment approach on oncology ward D4, Århus Hospital. The group sessions were led by oncology nurses and consisted of education, information, exchange of experience and forming of networks, whilst the patients received chemotherapy. The patients were automatically put into a group at the start of the treatment. The project was evaluated by telephone interview. Patient experience was that a group approach transforms passive waiting periods into valuable and active time. The group sessions provide a sense of group membership, which reduces feelings of isolation and enables group members to act as mutual resources. Group membership gives an experience of normalisation of side effects and symptoms, and prepares them for pending treatment phases. The combination of the nurses' expert knowledge, and patients' mutual exchange of experience, provides an optimal outcome. All the patients preferred receiving their treatment as part of a group. The group approach enables nurses to give focused nursing care, to communicate expert knowledge to groups, and to gain synergy benefits in terms of communication, exposure and contact nursing. The intervention is now a permanent facet of the nursing framework on Oncology ward D4 in Århus.

MeSH