Defining a balance by compromising with fear: A grounded theory study on returning to eating after a total gastrectomy

This study aimed to investigate the shaping of this process as influenced by the perspectives of patients, health-care professionals (HPs), and caregivers (CGs).METHODS: A constructivist grounded theory study, through semi-structured interviews and interpretative coding, was designed to answer the following research question: "what is the process of returning to eating and feeding after a gastrectomy?"RESULTS: The final sample included 18 participants. "Defining a balance by compromising with fear" is the core category explaining returning to eating as a process negotiated by all actors involved, with patients trying to find a feeding balance through a multi-layer compromise: with the information received by HPs, the proprioception drastically altered by gastric resection, new dietary habits to accept, and complex and often minimized conviviality. This process involves 4 main conceptual phases: relying on the doctors' advice, perceptive realignment, rearranging food intake, and food-regulated social interaction. Those categories are also shaped by the fear of being unwell from eating and the constant fear of tumor relapse.SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Multiple actors can meet patients' and their CGs' nutritional, care, and psychosocial needs. A multidisciplinary approach involving nutritionists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, and anthropologists can be key to effectively managing these patients' survivorship care. We suggest training all the professionals ...
Source: Palliative and Supportive Care - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Source Type: research