Cancer, Emotions, and Nurses

An experiment in self-care by the patients improved the patients' morale by permitting them to see themselves as continuing to be productive human beings, and the resulting changed ward culture represents a workable approach to the problem of patient management on a cancer unit.

Abstract

The author describes a psychiatric consultation program in a cancer research unit. First the nurses were helped to handle their feelings in regard to terminally ill patients. Later an experiment in self-care by the patients was undertaken; it improved the patients' morale by permitting them to see themselves as continuing to be productive human beings. The resulting changed ward culture represents, in the author's opinion, a workable approach to the problem of patient management on a cancer unit.