Rocky Road Ahead Of Nursing Presence in the Oncology Care Unit: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients need not only well-planned treatment, but also comprehensive nursing care provided with compassion, competence, and conscience. Nursing presence is an essential part of the care process in all nursing interventions. AIM: This study aimed to identify the barriers to the nursing presence in oncology care units. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative content analysis study was carried out with the participation of 27 nurses who were chosen by purposive sampling. The data collection instruments were semi-structured interviews and observation. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and then coded and analysed by the Graneheim and Lundman’s content analysis methodology. The criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln were used to ensure the validity of the research. RESULTS: From the data analysis, the researchers were able to obtain a primary theme labelled “Rocky road ahead of nursing presence” and two subthemes labelled “Difficult and stressful work environment” and “Dysfunctional rules and regulations” with several subcategories including “exposure to violence”, “shortage of nursing staff”, “inattention to the needs of nurses”, “organizational unfairness”, “excessive paperwork”, and “need for detailed documentation”. CONCLUSION: There are numerous challenges ahead of achieving satisfactory nursing presence and quality care in the oncology care units. The findings highlight the key role of organisational conditions in the nursing presence and the dire need to pay further attention to the motivational factors.