title: Understanding cancer patients' reflections on good nursing care in light of Antonovsky's theory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Data from an empirical study about cancer patients' perception of good caring are analysed in the light of Antonovsky's theory. The aim was to reflect on whether and how health personnel by giving good care, can function as vital resources at cancer patients disposal in activating their General Resistance Resources (GRRs) in a stressful life situation, and by that contribute to promotion and maintenance of their sense of coherence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hermeneutical approach was chosen for analysing the data. The informants were cancer patients in an oncology ward in a regional hospital in Norway. Twenty patients were interviewed, ten women and ten men. The patients had various cancer diagnoses at different stages and had different prognoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings indicate that most of the patients succeeded in activating their GRRs in dealing with the stressor. Nurses, doctors, family and friends can be seen to function as vital resources at their disposal when needed. Most likely good caring supported the patient's promotion and maintenance of the components of meaningfulness, comprehensibility and manageability which form the concept sense of coherence (SOC).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health personnel can support the patients' meaningfulness by listening to the patients' stories about what still gives them meaning in life and their comprehensibility by giving good information. Alleviation of physical suffering may promote and maintain their manageability. Because all three components are intertwined, it is important to focus on all of them when caring for cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Betanien University College, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: Kirsti.kvaale@betanien.no.
authors.forename: Kirsti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kvåle
authors.forename: Oddgeir
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Synnes
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D019090:Case Management; D032882:Comprehension; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D009664:Norway; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Antonovsky; Cancer patients; Caring; Coping; Sense of coherence