• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2001

This study was designed to describe the most common and most intense demands of illness in people with cancer in outpatient settings. The sample for this study who were at least 21 years old and had been treated for cancer. They recruited from outpatient setting in Seoul and Kyungsangnam-do. The questionnaire was a Likert type 5 point scale with 55 items on four need categories; informational, physical care emotional care and socioeconomic care. There were significant differences in degree of care need according to gender, religion, marital status, economic status, public insurance status, and the past regimen. In conclusion, emotional needs perceived by patients with cancer and family members were higher than the others. Based upon this result, it is recommended that the research to compare needs between cancer patients who have a same illness and family member are necessary.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.255-259
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• 2013

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan. Spouses are generally the main caregivers of affectyed patients but previous studies have seldom investigated the needs of male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer. Purpose: To explore the lived experiences of such male spouses. Methods: A qualitative design using in-depth interviewswasconducted with male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer being treated at the oncology outpatient department in a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Results: Nine participants aged 31-78 were interviewed. Content analysis of the interviews revealed five themes: suffering and struggling, difficulty in focusing on communication and interaction, shouldering responsibility, cherishing the love between husband and wife, and enabling each other to live better. This study demonstrated how male spousse experienced physical and psychological suffering when their wives suffered from metastatic cancer. They had to bear the pain of their wife's suffering, and also had to shoulder the responsibility for everything. All their efforts were put towards enabling each other to live a better life. They cherished the rest of the time they could spend with their wives, even though they had to live a hard life. As the male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer, the participants exhibited both the masculinity of men and the ability to express care and tenderness. Conclusions: The results showed that male spouses need more attention in terms of communication and bearing with suffering. Health care professionals should more actively understand the needs and provide assistance when facing the male spouse of patients with cancer, so as make sure that they possess the ability to take care of their wives. Health care professionals should also assist and properly act as a bridge of communication between husbands and wives.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.82-89
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• 2018

Purpose: Early detection of gastric cancer is important to improve prognosis. Early detection enables local treatment, such as endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Therefore, we investigated whether early detection of gastric cancer could reduce healthcare costs by comparison according to stage and treatment modalities. Materials and Methods: Medical care costs were investigated according to tumor stage and initial treatment modality in 1,188 patients newly diagnosed with gastric cancer at 7 medical institutions from December 2011 to June 2012. Total medical care costs during the first-year after diagnosis (total first-year costs) were examined, including the costs of initial treatment, post-initial treatment, and inpatient and outpatient visits. Results: Stage I (75.3%) was the most common cancer stage. ESD was the second most common treatment following surgery. Total first-year costs increased significantly from stages I to IV. The costs of initial treatment and post-initial treatment were lowest in patients with stage I cancer. Among patients with stage I cancer, total first-year costs were significantly lower when treated by ESD; in particular, initial ESD treatment costs were much lower than others. Conclusions: The cost of healthcare has increased significantly with increasing cancer stages. ESD can greatly reduce medical care costs of gastric cancer. Thus, early detection of gastric cancer is important to reduce healthcare costs.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine posttraumatic growth (PTG) in family caregivers of patients with cancer. Methods: Participants included 201 family caregivers of cancer patients who are treated at outpatient clinics and oncology wards of a university hospital and two general hospitals in Busan, Korea. The study instrument was the Korean version of the posttraumatic growth inventory (K-PTGI). Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t test, one-way ANOVA and Scheffe's test using the SPSS 21 for Windows. Results: The mean score of PTG was 3.10. The factor with the highest score was "Changes to self-perception" (3.15), while the one with the lowest was "Increase in spiritual interest" (2.88). There were significant differences in PTG, depending on age, religion, importance of religious life and perceived level of daily difficulties. Conclusion: Family caregivers also experience PTG when their loved ones are diagnosed with cancer. According to these findings, it is necessary to develop a spiritual nursing program to help family caregivers growth from the experience of attending patients with cancer.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.171-179
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• 2020

This study was attempted to identify the media preferences and the reasons of cancer patients. The data collection was conducted on 76 people. and they are 6 men, 70 women with 38 breast cancer patients, and 38 patients with other cancers. For measuring tools, self-written questionnaires and Mandala paintings were used for single-time art therapy. The data analysis compared the results of technical statistics, independence verification and chi verification using the SPSS WIN ver.25.0 with the Mandala painting. There were no significant differences in media preference by age and duration of the disease, and there were significant differences in media preference by disease. In the Mandala painting, the characteristics of the medium and the factors of specific disease showed that there were reasons and effects of preference media choice. This study is meaningful in that it concentrated on the art therapy access and support in terms of the cancer outpatients, which have been concentrated on inpatients so that they shed light to the support and intervention needed by the outpatients, and can be used as basic data for the development of art therapy programs to help stabilize the mind of cancer patients in the future.