Patients’ Expectations of Physiotherapeutic Treatment for Long-Term Side Effects After Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective This study aims to explore the expectations of physiotherapeutic treatment of long-term side effects (LTSEs) after cancer among patients treated in physiotherapy clinics. Methods This a qualitative interview study based on a phenomenological approach. Adult patients with LTSEs after cancer were recruited through The Danish Cancer Society and a private physiotherapy clinic in Denmark. Individual semi-structured interviews were carried out using Microsoft Teams based on an interview guide piloted before the interviews. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Sampling was conducted with a focus on variation in LTSE. The data were analyzed using Malterud’s principles of systematic text condensation and coded in NVivo 12. Results 2 males and 8 females with an average age of 55.8 years were interviewed for between 40 and 60 minutes from October to November 2020. Four main themes emerged from the interviews 1 : The importance of the physiotherapist’s approach, 2 the benefits of meeting patients with similar symptoms, 3 the importance of receiving knowledge, and 4 patients seeking to maintain their current state more often than aiming to improve their condition. Conclusions Patients consulting a physiotherapy clinic with LTSE after cancer prefer the physiotherapist to have knowledge about cancer and to be emphatic. Furthermore, patients prefer to meet like-minded people and expect support to maintain their current condition rather than improve their condition.