Do cancer patients always want to talk about difficult emotions? A qualitative study of cancer inpatients communication needs.

The aim of this study was to find out, through qualitative in depth interviews, if cancer patients in an Oncology ward always want to talk about their feelings and difficult emotions regarding the disease and their future while they are inpatients, and if not, to identify the reasons why. People with cancer often face emotional and spiritual distress, but try to cope with their life situation optimally. It is therefore important to determine their communication needs when they are inpatients. Giorgi's approach to phenomenology was used as research method. Twenty inpatients with various cancer diagnoses in different stages and with different prognoses were interviewed. The findings revealed that cancer patients did not always want to talk to the nurses about their difficult feelings regarding the future when they were inpatients in an Oncology ward. The main themes identified why were: cognitive avoidance and distancing; normalization, finding meaning and living in the present, and support from family and friends. The patients wanted to talk about normal life, their hobbies and their families. This conversation seemed to support their coping strategies by helping them to find meaning and hope, and must be recognized as important aspects of spiritual and emotional care.