title: Taking away the fear: a grounded theory study of cooperative care in the treatment of head and neck cancer.
abstract: Cooperative care is a relatively new treatment model that seeks to improve quality, conserve resources, and manage chronic conditions by providing patient and carepartner education in a homelike setting. Support from health care professionals is immediately available as patients and carepartners learn the skills needed to manage a disease and its treatment. This study sought to describe the effect of cooperative care on the treatment of head and neck cancer. Grounded theory methodology and focused interviews of 21 participants were used to answer three research questions: (1) Do the patients, carepartners, and providers involved in cooperative care perceive the potential psychosocial and self-care benefits? (2) How does the cooperative care treatment model affect the achievement of self-care for patients with surgical treatment of head and neck cancer? (3) What are appropriate theories regarding the benefits of cooperative care in the treatment of head and neck cancer that can be tested with quantitative methods? Results indicate that providers perceived cooperative care as a time-consuming process that resulted in less anxious, more communicative patients who required fewer post-discharge resources. Patients and carepartners perceived cooperative care as an experience that took away their fear by providing self-care education within a caring community.
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Department, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Lani
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McLane
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lydiatt
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lydiatt
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009329:Nebraska; D010039:Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000523:psychology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities; D012931:Social Environment