Care Needs of Patients with Cancer; a Systematic Review

Aims: Cancer patients have to face the disease, invasive treatments and side effects of the disease and treatments in a long period. In the long process of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, these people have different needs that often remain unrecognized and unmet. The present study aimed to evaluate the care needs of cancer patients in various aspects of life. Information & Methods: This study is a systematic review. To obtain related studies, research keywords were searched in Persian and English scientific databases. A total of ۶۱ articles in Persian language and ۲۶۵ articles in English language were obtained. After evaluating these articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, ۶ articles in Farsi and ۲۸ articles in English were included in this review and their results were analyzed. Findings: After reviewing the full text of the articles, the reported needs of cancer patients were categorized into five general areas: need for support, informational needs, spiritual needs, sexual needs, and family needs. Conclusion: Cancer patients have specific and unfulfilled needs in different dimensions of their lives. These needs have a significant impact on disease outcomes, compliance with treatment, the success rate of the treatments performed, and the quality of life of patients.

Keywords:

Cancer , Patients , Needs , , Review