Loss of appetite: a poetic exploration of cancer patients' and their carers' experiences.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the experience of loss of appetite among palliative care cancer patients and their carers supported by a specialist palliative care team in the community.


METHODS
Semistructured interviews were conducted with seven palliative care cancer patients and their carers in the community. A poetic transcription of participants' words was made to capture and communicate the essence of each person's experience before the thematic analysis was undertaken.


RESULTS
Six common themes emerged from the data: a fickle phenomenon; the cost of caring; facing uncertainty and death; adaptations; accepting limitations; and what patients want: 'listen to me'. These were illustrated by the poetic transcriptions.


CONCLUSIONS
Meeting the differing needs of palliative care patients with loss of appetite and their carers is challenging. It demands a thorough assessment of symptoms, an understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and of the role food plays in society. An understanding of the experience of loss of appetite is essential to the provision of appropriate care and support to those affected by it. The study demonstrated that, although unusual, poetic transcriptions can be an effective method of presenting data in terms of acceptability to participants and communicating their experience to others.
Souter
Jill
J
North and East Cornwall Primary Care Trust, Macmillan Centre, 3 St Clement Vean, Tregolls Road, Truro, UK.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005195:Family Relations; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011037:Poetry as Topic