Caring for cancer patients in acute cancer care settings: Voices of South African nurses

Abstract

Little is known about the experience of nurses caring for cancer patients. This study was undertaken to provide a straightforward description of the experiences of South African nurses caring for patients in acute cancer care settings. Purposive sampling selected 20 nurses with whom there were in-depth interviews. The participants were mostly female registered oncology nurses with more than 5 years’ experience. Three themes were identified: defining the cancer nursing experience, the challenges experienced in caring for cancer patients, and challenges imposed by the healthcare system. Most of the participants believed they were called by God to care for cancer patients. However, the challenges they experienced led to guilt feelings and believing the care they provided was insufficient. They were subjected to workplace violence, missed the support from senior nursing management and displayed signs of burnout. Addressing these challenges could limit their emotional distress and prevent burnout.