Nutritional challenges of gastric cancer patients from the perspectives of patients, family caregivers, and health professionals: a qualitative study

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore the perceptions of gastric cancer patients, their family caregivers, physicians, and nurses of nutritional challenges. Methods Using a descriptive qualitative method, this study was conducted in 2019-2020. Twenty participants (6 patients, 6 family caregivers, 3 physicians, and 5 nurses) were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and examined using qualitative content analysis. Results Data analysis revealed three categories, each with two subcategories: eating, an unpleasant experience that contains "a feeling like hyperemesis gravidarum" and "childish food excuses"; flexibility while adhering to a proper diet, which consists of "dietary dos and don'ts" and "nutritional leniency"; and nutrition with distress that contains "patient's sense of being an extra burden" and "provision of nutrition with suffering in caregivers." Conclusion Because of the significant physical and psychological impact of nutritional problems on patients and their caregivers, the need to provide care and education to these patients and their families using a multidisciplinary team is becoming more important.