癌症病患不確定感之照護策略

Care Strategy for Feelings of Uncertainty Among Cancer Patients

癌症近年來一直是我國國人十大死因的第一位，面對癌症的病患，無論從疾病的檢查、診斷、治療、住院到出院的後續治療過程，經常經驗到不確定感。疾病的不確定感包含不明確性及複雜性的兩個部份，亦即病患對於疾病狀態、治療計劃與醫療照顧系統的不清楚與複雜感受，如此將使病患感到失控、焦慮，甚至降低其自我照護信心與能力，進而影響其生活品質與家庭適應。有鑑於此，本文針對癌症病患不確定感的概念、影響因素的探討及面對癌症不同階段的照護策略，期望當病患面臨不確定感時，照護人員能主動評估病患不確定感發生的原因，並透過及時的介入措施，協助他們渡過疾病的艱難時間，以朝向更正向且積極地面對疾病的過程。

Cancer has always been one of the top ten causes of death in Taiwan. Patients suffering from cancer often experience a sense of uncertainty while undergoing medical procedures like physical examinations, diagnosis and treatments before and after hospitalization. The sense of uncertainty from a disease is comprised of two parts: ambiguity and complexity. Patients can be overwhelmed by the sense of ambiguity and complexity when it comes to their disease status and treatment plans. Patients consequently feel a loss of control, anxiety and even decrease their faith and self-care abilities, negatively affecting their quality of life and family adaptation. Based on the discussions of concepts, influence factors and nursing strategies in different stages of nursing care in relation to patients’ feelings of uncertainty, this paper proposes that nursing personnel should actively and spontaneously evaluate the reasons for patients’uncertainty and assist patients through care intervention in a timely manner, ultimately leading patients towards more positive and constructive disease-curing procedures.