Kidd and his coworkers reported on a study to explore patients' experiences of self-care during a 6-month course of chemotherapy treatment for colorectal cancer. A greater degree of patient involvement in self-care is increasingly being encouraged, although little is known about patients' experiences of being actively involved in their self-care. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 patients at the beginning and end of their treatment for colorectal cancer in a Scottish cancer center between March 2005 and June 2006. The ways in which participants were actively involved in managing the impact of undergoing chemotherapy treatment and their understandings of the meaning of self-care were explored. Results showed that patients carried out self-care in order to preserve their self-identity and maintain a sense of normality. Self-management activities intended to manage both the physical and emotional impact of undergoing treatment included the use of medications and nutritional supplements, reducing food intake, information-seeking, sharing experiences with fellow patients, and rationalizing the purpose and effects of their chemotherapy treatment.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER: The authors concluded that nurses have an important role to play in ensuring that patients' perspectives and priorities for self-care, in particular what they do, why they do it, and that others listen to them. These actions help patients achieve their desired level of involvement in self-management.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A PATIENT: Interventions to promote self-care or self-management should focus on helping people preserve their self-identity, as well as to manage the emotional toll and physical side effects associated with cancer treatment. In order to achieve these goals, cancer patients should be taught self-management skills and perform them on a consistent basis. It can be anticipated that many will live longer lives and all will achieve higher quality of lives because of their efforts.

L Kidd et al. Experiences of self-care in patients with colorectal cancer: a longitudinal study. Journal of Advances in Nursing, September 1, 2008.