Sammanfattning
The article describes results from a nursing pilot project, where 19 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer were assigned a regular contact nurse as a patient-trajectory coordinator for helping them manage treatment across departmental, sectorial and institutional boundaries.
The nursing intervention consisted of follow-up consultations with the patient primarily by telephone every 14 days or more frequently in accordance with the patient's needs. The trajectories started at the time of diagnosis and continued for up to 10 months.
The main message is that providing a regular and permanent contact nurse for newly diagnosed lung cancer patients provided the patient with a sense of continuity and security and helped counteract the patient's many complex problems. Patients used phrases such as "guiding light" and "our lifeline" to describe their understanding of this function. The patient has a need for a medical professional who contacts, supports and coordinates, because the patient is rarely able to coordinate his or her own trajectory.