Experiences of Adolescent Patients with Osteosarcoma during the One Year of Treatment in Taiwan

Purpose:

The purpose of this presentation to explore the experience of Taiwanese adolescent patients with osteosarcoma during the 1-year treatment perod following diagnosis and to servr as a pioneer study. 

Methods:

 This study used a qualitative research design with field notes that recorded the interviewer's observations and open-ended one-on-one in-depth interviews.

Qualitatine inductive cintent analysis was used to extract meaning from the data collevted in this study. Twenty-four of APOs who between 11 and 20 years and who were treated with OS and their parents were recuited.

Results:

 Nine categories were extracted. They were disbelief, hope for recovery and maintaining body integrity, experience of physical impairment, experience of psychosocial distress, use of spirituality to rationalize misfortune, information acquisition, preparation to return to school, interdependence, and dedication to hope of recovery. 

Conclusion:

This is the first empirical qualitative study to explore the experiences of Taiwanese APOs during one year of OS treatment. Nine experiential categories contribute to an initial understanding of how APOs experience their OS treatment challenges. They could be used to support intervention development in the pediatric oncology nursing fields.