A qualitative study of the experiences during radiotherapy of Swedish patients suffering from lung cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe experiences during radiotherapy of patients suffering from lung cancer. DESIGN Inductive, qualitative. SETTING A radiotherapy department in the south of Sweden. SAMPLE 15 patients with lung cancer undergoing their second week of radiotherapy. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH Interviews were conducted in a hospital setting, transcribed, and content analyzed. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Experiences during radiotherapy. FINDINGS The patients' experiences fall into four categories: fatigue, physical distress, managing disease- and treatment-related issues, and obstacles to managing. Fatigue was a major experience expressed in terms of low energy levels and low fitness, sometimes leading to social isolation. CONCLUSIONS Nurses need to implement interventions to minimize side effects of radiotherapy and maximize patients' abilities to manage the disease and the treatment. INTERPRETATION Informing and educating patients about pretreatment and assessing fatigue as well as implementing interventions (e.g., nurse-patient interaction, support, information, encouragement, focus on the patients' own resources) may lead to improved comprehensive care during radiation therapy.