1.Creating a list of psycho-social problems and solutions for patients with pancreatic cancer by applying the social problem-solving process
Mariko Shiozaki ; Atsuko Sakami ; Takayuki Satoh ; Hidetoshi Eguchi ; Masahiro Tanemura ; Toru Kitagawa ; Toshinori Ito ; Kei Hirai
Palliative Care Research 2015;10(3):186-193
Purpose: The aim of this study was to create a list of psycho-social problems and solutions for patients with pancreatic cancer by applying the social problem-solving process. Methods: A semi-structured interview of approximately 1 hour was conducted on two occasions. The participants were 17 patients with pancreatic cancer. Results: Psycho-social problems were divided into two themes: “facing the future uncertainty” and “facing the effects of treatment received”. A list of problems and solutions was created for each problem theme. Realistic goals for “facing the future uncertainty” were ‘maintaining this living condition (n=7)’, ‘preparing for changes to the environment (n=5)’, ‘keeping a sense of control over my own life (n=5)’ and ‘dealing with anxiety (n=3)’. Realistic goals for “facing the effects of treatment received” were ‘restoring the self of pre-illness(n=2)’. Conclusion: For seemingly unsolvable problems, patients can formulate realistic goals that they want to have clarified, and then the problems can be recaptured as solvable problems.