Exploring Experiences Among People Diagnosed With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Objectives: To describe the experiences of people diagnosed with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data Sources: Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews conducted with people affected by cancer in the Australian context. Following institutional ethical approval, interviews were conducted over Microsoft Teams and Zoom platforms and complied with confidentiality requirements. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed, and emergent themes were developed using thematic analysis to understand patient experiences of cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was disruptive to the daily experiences of supportive care. Four overarching themes were identified related to: 1) the impact on accessing healthcare services, 2) encounters with healthcare professionals, 3) the impact on daily living, and 4) the impact of COVID on psychological wellbeing. Implications for Nursing Practice: As the COVID-19 pandemic held global consequences on cancer practices, it is recommended that nursing and other multidisciplinary healthcare professionals reflect upon these findings, in the context of planning for future pandemics. We encourage further exploration into the sustainability of telehealth services universally, given the issues highlighted in this study. (c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Automated summary

This study describes the experiences of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia through qualitative data collection and analysis. The study found that the pandemic had an impact on patients' access to healthcare services, encounters with healthcare professionals, daily living, and psychological wellbeing. The study recommends reflection on these findings in the context of future pandemic planning and further exploration of the sustainability of telehealth services.