Experiência de famílias frente ao adoecimento por câncer sem possibilidade de cura

Abstract

Cancer is a chronic disease that has numerous repercussions on the life of the person who experiences it and their family, since there is no separate subject and disease, but an individual who falls ill together with his family. In situations where there is no longer a possibility of a cure, it is essential that the family is included in the care process, and should be considered a care unit. The study aimed to understand the experience of families facing illness due to cancer with no possibility of cure by one of its members. It is a family research, from a qualitative perspective, based on the theoretical-methodological framework of Grounded Theory (GT). Six families participated, totaling 15 people, living the experience of falling ill with cancer without the possibility of cure. As reference sites for attracting families, the Home Care Service (SAD) and the Palliative Care Team linked to the Santa Maria University Hospital (HUSM) were selected. Data were collected at the families 'residence and at the HUSM, from January to December 2019, through an in-depth interview recorded in audio and transcribed in full, in addition to the construction of the families' genogram and eco-map. For the storage and organization of the data, the Nvivo® version 10 program was used. The data analysis followed the steps recommended by the comparative method in the GT: open, selective and theoretical coding. The principles of the Resolution of the National Health Council n° 466/2012 were followed during all stages of the investigation, with the research being approved by the Research Ethics Committee under substantiated opinion n° 3.109.307. Data analysis resulted in five concepts: Discovering cancer; Suffering from the reality imposed by illness; Preparing to face illness; Deciding on treatment; Facing the finitude of life. From these, it was possible to identify the central category called LIVING ONE DAY AT EACH TIME, which resulted in the construction of the substantive theory “Allowing hope to be maintained: the experience of families facing illness due to cancer without the possibility of a cure”. The theory shows the movement that the family makes, both in its family dynamics and in its interpersonal interactions, since the discovery of cancer, the repercussions that this triggers in the family, going through the strategies used to face the illness and the treatment that culminates in the terminality of the patient's life. Knowing the families' understanding of becoming ill with cancer without the possibility of a cure can contribute to the reflections of nurses and other health professionals on care, which must consider the particularities and meanings of the experiences experienced by the family unit.