title: [The experiences of perioperative patients with cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was to explore the experiences of perioperative patients with cancer. The purpose of this inquiry was to describe the essence of such experiences, and to understand them from the patients'point of view.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in this study were 9 cancer patients with ages ranging from 31 to 70 years old, living in B city, who experienced cancer operations. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviews and an observation method done from October to December in 2003. In analysing data, Colaizzi's(1978) phenomenological research method was adopted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five categories emerged from ten theme clusters. The five categories were: 'shock', 'expectations & wishes', 'despair', 'feelings of burden', 'continual pain'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show that oncology nurses need to pay more attention to the psychosocial aspect of nursing to emphasize and support the cancer patients who suffer and its treatment, and operations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan 602-739, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Hae
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung-Yeon
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Mi-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Mi-Ok
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D009859:Oncology Nursing