Emphasising Organisational Routine: A Qualitative Study of Patient and Health Professional Experiences of Inpatient Oncology Care

Background: Although the experience of hospitalisation for cancer management has been widely researched, such research from the African sub-continent is limited. Objective: This study explored experiences of patient care in a tertiary, inpatient oncology setting in urban South Africa, from the point of view of patients and health professionals. Methods: In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with participants. Participants included oncology inpatients, oncologists, nurses and nursing management (N = 46) at an oncology unit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Data were analysed by a multidisciplinary research group using reflexive thematic analysis principles. Results: Our results suggest that barriers to establishing effective organisational routines included communication breakdowns between patients and healthcare providers, a lack of predictability in interactions with doctors, deficient access to information and diminished confidence in nurses. Conclusions: Oncology inpatients may not feel in control of their circumstances, in part due to lacking routine in the hospital setting. Ironically, nurses, who are often at the frontline of patient management, appear to be underutilised or disabled by the healthcare system as conveyors of information. Implications for practice: Robust organisational routines for oncology inpatients may be a good mechanism for allaying uncertainty and conferring a sense of control. Nursing staff, as the individuals with the most direct patient contact, could be instrumental in nurturing organisational routines towards improving patient perceptions of care.