"Our Disease of No Hope”: A Qualitative Study on The Supportive Care Needs of Women Under Treatment For Gynecological Cancer

Background/Purpose: Identifying and managing unmet supportive care needs while caring for a patient with gynecological cancer is an important component of healthcare. The purpose of this study is to determine the supportive care needs of women receiving gynecological cancer treatment. Methods: This study, using a qualitative research design, was conducted with 15 women diagnosed with gynecological cancer. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the participants determined by the purposive sampling method until reached the saturation point. The interviews were held between January and May 2022. Results: The mean age of the participants was 53.5±11.14, five of them were primary school graduates, nine of them had a medium income and 10 were married. Seven of the participants had tanus endometrial cancer and the mean diagnosis period was 10.4±2.5 months. As a result of the analysis of the data, five themes were determined. These themes; the continuity of the need for care, lack of social support, lack of sense of control, the desire to cope with uncertainty, and the lack of communication in the health institution. Conclusion: It was determined that women who were treated for gynecological cancer had care needs that were not met and needed to be supported due to individual, economic, social and medical reasons. Supportive care needs of women receiving gynecological cancer treatment should be evaluated within the framework of a multidisciplinary team approach, and counseling and rehabilitation programs including symptom management and psychosocial support should be organized in order to improve coping methods with their diseases.