Sammanfattning
The purpose of the study was to
describe cancer patients’ experiences
of and expectations on care
related to pain. The design was
explorative-descriptive. Nineteen
cancer patients from different
parts of Finland took part in the
study. Data were collected by
means of focus interviews and
essays and analysed by qualitative
content analysis. The results
showed that the patients’ experiences
of pain related care can be
described on a continuum between
two extremes. The caring
pole involves experiences of
receiving pain relieving medication
when needed, of personnel
that gives care, support, assurance
and information. The uncaring
pole involves experiences of
neglect of the mental and emotional
aspect, experiences that the
personnel does not prevent and
relieve pain, neglects the patient’s
pain, does not give information
and does not understand what it
means to be in pain. The patients
wanted pain to be relieved by
medication, but they also emphasised
the importance of contact
and communication, of professional
expertise and kindness, of an
active assessment of the pain, and
of receiving cognitive means for
pain control. The patients saw
respect for human beings and for
the patient’s integrity as an
important aspect of pain related
care.