TY - JOUR
T1 - Strategies and Barriers in Addressing Mental Health and Suicidality in Patients with Cancer
AU - Granek, Leeat
AU - Nakash, Ora
AU - Ariad, Samuel
AU - Shapira, Shahar
AU - Ben-David, Merav
N1 - Funding Information:
Leeat Granek, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Health Policy and Management at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ora Nakash, PhD, is a professor in the School for Social Work at Smith College in Northampton, MA, and an adjunct professor in the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology in Herzliya, Israel; Samuel Ariad, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Oncology at the Soroka University Medical Center and Shahar Shapira, MA, is a research assistant in the Gender Studies Program, both at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheva, Israel; and Merav Ben-David, MD, is an oncologist in the Head and Breast Radiation Unit of Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and a senior lecturer at the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, both in Israel. Granek can be reached at leeatg@ gmail.com, with copy to ONFEditor@ons.org. (Submitted November 2018. Accepted March 8, 2019.) This study was funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (pilot research grant to Granek).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Oncology Nursing Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - PURPOSE: To identify how oncology nurses address mental health distress and suicidality in patients, what strategies they employ in treating this distress, and the barriers they face in addressing distress and suicidality in patients with cancer. PARTICIPANTS & SETTING: 20 oncology nurses at two cancer centers in Israel were interviewed. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: The grounded theory method of data collection and analysis was employed. FINDINGS: Strategies used in addressing patients' mental health distress were being emotionally available, providing practical support, treating physical symptoms, and referring to counseling. Strategies in addressing suicidality were assessing the situation, offering end-of-life or palliative care, treating physical symptoms, and referring for assessment. Barriers to addressing distress were lack of training, stigma, workload or lack of time, and limited availability and accessibility of mental health resources. Barriers in addressing suicidality were lack of knowledge and training, patient reluctance to receive care, and lack of protocol. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Developing guidelines for addressing and responding to mental health distress and suicidality is essential to improving patients' quality of life and reducing disease-related morbidity and mortality. Reducing mental healthcare stigma for patients is critical.
AB - PURPOSE: To identify how oncology nurses address mental health distress and suicidality in patients, what strategies they employ in treating this distress, and the barriers they face in addressing distress and suicidality in patients with cancer. PARTICIPANTS & SETTING: 20 oncology nurses at two cancer centers in Israel were interviewed. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: The grounded theory method of data collection and analysis was employed. FINDINGS: Strategies used in addressing patients' mental health distress were being emotionally available, providing practical support, treating physical symptoms, and referring to counseling. Strategies in addressing suicidality were assessing the situation, offering end-of-life or palliative care, treating physical symptoms, and referring for assessment. Barriers to addressing distress were lack of training, stigma, workload or lack of time, and limited availability and accessibility of mental health resources. Barriers in addressing suicidality were lack of knowledge and training, patient reluctance to receive care, and lack of protocol. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Developing guidelines for addressing and responding to mental health distress and suicidality is essential to improving patients' quality of life and reducing disease-related morbidity and mortality. Reducing mental healthcare stigma for patients is critical.
KW - grounded theory
KW - mental health care
KW - mental health distress
KW - stigma
KW - suicide
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072144129&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1188/19.ONF.561-571
DO - 10.1188/19.ONF.561-571
M3 - Article
C2 - 31424452
AN - SCOPUS:85072144129
SN - 0190-535X
VL - 46
SP - 561
EP - 571
JO - Oncology Nursing Forum
JF - Oncology Nursing Forum
IS - 5
ER -
