Gaining insight into the supportive care needs of women experiencing gynaecological cancer: A qualitative study

Aim and objectives To gain insight into the supportive care needs of Western Australian women experiencing gynaecological cancer. Background Meeting the supportive care needs of people living with cancer is becoming increasingly important as advances in cancer treatment contribute to growing numbers of survivors. International evidence suggests between 24%–56% of women with gynaecological cancer have unmet supportive care needs and that psychological challenges, information provision and holistic care are priorities. No qualitative investigation has previously explored women's journey of gynaecological cancer within the Australian setting. Design A qualitative descriptive design was used. Methods Women treated for gynaecological cancer were recruited from a tertiary public women's hospital in Western Australia. Thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data collected from 190 women over 12 months through written open‐ended survey responses and telephone interviews. The COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research (COREQ) guided presentation of results. Results Analysis yielded five themes and four subthemes: (a) Communication style directs the experience (subthemes: feeling supported; absence of empathy); (b) It's not just about the disease (subthemes: life has changed; holistic care); (c) A desire for information; (d) Drawing upon resilience; and (e) Navigating the system. Discussion Exploration of the women's needs leads to the discussion of three concepts. Communication styles, harnessing women's resilience and alternative models of care are evaluated for their capacity to improve care and women's quality of life into survivorship. Recommendations are made for further research and possible interventions that can be translated into the clinical setting. Conclusion Women with gynaecological cancer described complex often unmet supportive care needs and interactions with the healthcare system. Insight gained directs suggestions for improved service provision. Relevance to clinical practice Improved patient‐centred communication, harnessing resilience as a resource and alternative models of care for follow‐up are encouraged as areas of improvement for clinicians and care services.