Abstract

VENANCIO, Catarina  and  PRESADO, Maria Helena. Caring for Pregnant Women with Cancer: Strategies of Obstetric Nurses in a Qualitative Approach. NTQR [online]. 2021, vol.8, pp.460-468.  Epub Dec 22, 2021. ISSN 2184-7770.  https://doi.org/10.36367/ntqr.8.2021.460-468.

Cancer cases during pregnancy are ever more common, possibly due to cellular deterioration associated with maternity at advanced ages and/or exposure to environmental risk factors. When coupled with pregnancy, cancer can raise complex dilemmas, both ethical and therapeutical. It is urgent to attend to women going through these contradictory experiences: pregnancy and cancer. Multidisciplinary care is both a complementary and fundamental resource, with the importance of teamwork at the core of healthcare for women and their respective families when going through this simultaneous experience. Objective: Understand nursing strategies to provide speciality care to pregnant women with cancer. Method: We developed a descriptive study with a qualitative approach to answer the question “Which strategies should a specialist nurse employ when dealing with pregnant women with cancer?”. Semi directive interviews were the primary data collection method, with a total of four interviews being conducted with obstetric specialist nurses from the Lisbon area having previous experience in caring for pregnant cancer patients between October 2019 and March 2020. The results were analysed using the WebQDA® software. Results: The scientific evidences in this subject are scarce. When promoting adaptative behavior from pregnant women with cancer, specialist nurses consider as their most relevant strategies the communication and collaboration with other health professionals. Personal care limitations have an impact on how the healthcare is provided, with the need to adapt procedures to each individual patient. Conclusion: Investing in nurse training, with specific knowledge on caring with pregnant cancer patients, is a fundamental step towards multidisciplinary teamwork relevance, upheaving the importance of meetings with nurses from different teams and specific research on this topic.

Keywords : Nurse Midwives; Strategies; Caring; Pregnant Women; Cancer..

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