Beyond Treatment, Understanding the Holistic Needs of Cancer Patients and Family Caregivers: A Qualitative Study from the Perspectives of Patients, Family Caregivers, and Health Care Providers

Shima Yadegar Tirandaz,1 Leila Valizadeh,2 Vahid Zamanzadeh,3 Maryam Rassouli,4,5 Mohammad Esmaeil Akbari61Student Research Committee, Department of Community Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Pediatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman; 6Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Leila Valizadeh, Department of Pediatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Email lvalizadeh@sbmu.ac.irIntroduction: Cancer is a complex disease and can affect the integrity of individuals, their health dimensions and quality of life, and their families, leading to changes in priorities and the emergence of new needs. Therefore, the first step in providing quality care, improving survival, and planning treatment, care, and support services is to identify and meet the needs of this group of patients.Research Objective: This study aimed to identify the holistic needs of cancer patients and their family caregivers from the perspectives of patients, family caregivers, and cancer care providers.Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews with 8 patients, 9 family caregivers, and 14 cancer care providers, a total of 31 participants who were selected using a purposeful sampling method. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis by Graneheim and Lundman and coded with MAXQDA-10 software. Data Rigor was evaluated using Lincoln & Guba criteria.Findings: Analysis of the interviews revealed 9 categories and 22 subcategories for the needs. The categories included informational needs (2 subcategories), financial (2 subcategories), physical (2 subcategories), psychosocial (4 subcategories), spiritual (2 subcategories), family caregivers’ needs (2 subcategories), access to services (3 subcategories), standard care (3 subcategories), and continuity of care (2 subcategories).Conclusion: Cancer patients and their family caregivers have many types of needs that extend beyond treatment-related issues. By integrating the perspectives of patients, family caregivers, and cancer care providers, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of cancer-related needs that allows healthcare providers and health policymakers to take positive steps to provide optimal patient- and family-centered care for these patients.Keywords: cancer, holistic needs, content analysis, qualitative study