A Textual Analysis for Understanding the Relations and the Identity Construction in Adolescent Oncology Patients: Retrospective Personal Views in Order to Educate Health Professionals

Abstract

Patient input is critical for all aspects of value-based healthcare design. This contribution describes the following: the specifics of communications with doctors regarding the disease in adolescents and young adults with cancer; the patients’ thoughts, emotions and changes in self-perception; “other meanings” taking shape along the treatment pathway; and reacting modes to the disease and treatments. Thirty-five Italian AYA patients in follow-up (age 18–24) were involved in a plenary interview on the cited aspects of their oncological experience. The answers were analyzed by MADIT (Analysis Methodology of Computerized Textual Data) with the software SPAD. MADIT allowed us to perform text analysis, describe the graphical outcomes and discuss the results. Respondents took a first-person perspective and their personal narrative recall had objective and unequivocal connotations. Experience was narrated mainly by maintenance repertoires that fix the reality of disease, its treatments and personal identity. The account focused on the tumor and on an agreed approach to it. The time “after” was described as a distressing space that defines them. Making sense of the events was considered a significant help. Professionals need to focus on the discursive repertoires of communication with which the inner and outer reality are built. Lastly, these patients required a two-way dialogue throughout the entire caring process.