Bood, Z. M., Scherer-Rath, M., Sprangers, M. A. G., Timmermans, L., van Wolde, E., Cristancho, S. M., Heyning, F., Russel, S., van Laarhoven, H. W. M., & Helmich, E. (2019). Living with advanced cancer: Rich Pictures as a means for health care providers to explore the experiences of advanced cancer patients. Cancer Medicine, 8(11), 4957-4966. https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.2342
Collectie
(4)
-
Artikel
Living with advanced cancer: Rich Pictures as a means for health care providers to explore the experiences of advanced cancer patients
Background
To provide holistic care to patients with advanced cancer, health care professionals need to gain insight in patients’ experiences across the different domains of health. However, describing such complex experiences verbally may be difficult for patients. The use of a visual tool, such as Rich Pictures (RPs) could be helpful. We explore the use of RPs to gain insight in the experiences of patients with advanced cancer.
Methods
Eighteen patients with advanced cancer were asked to draw a RP expressing how they experienced living with cancer, followed by a semi-structured interview. Qualitative content analysis, including the examination of all elements in the drawings and their interrelationships, was used to analyze the RPs, which was further informed by the interviews.
Results
The RPs clearly showed what was most important to an individual patient and made relations between elements visible at a glance. Themes identified included: medical aspects, the experience of loss, feelings related to loss, support from others and meaningful activities, and integration of cancer in one's life. The added value of RPs lies in the ability to represent these themes in one single snapshot.
Conclusions
RPs allow for a complementary view on the experiences of advanced cancer patients, as they show and relate different aspects of patients’ lives. A RP can provide health care professionals a visual summary of the experiences of a patient. For patients, telling their story to health care professionals might be facilitated when using RPs. -
Artikel
This is what life with cancer looks like: exploring experiences of adolescent and young adults with cancer using two visual approaches
Introduction
Talking about illness experience can be challenging for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Visual tools, in addition to spoken language, might make this easier, such as rich pictures and photovoice. We aimed to obtain a comprehensive view of the cancer experience of AYAs by using rich pictures and photovoice.
Methods
AYAs (18–35 years old) who had any type of cancer, or were in remission from cancer, were eligible. AYAs drew rich pictures about their experience of living with cancer and explained these during subsequent interviews. Some of the AYAs also participated in photovoice and spent two days with a photographer to make photos about their illness experience. Rich pictures and photos were first analyzed separately, using open coding, after which the identified themes were compared.
Results
Twelve AYAs made rich pictures (RPs), of whom seven also participated in photovoice. The two most predominant themes emerging from the data were struggles related to the future and defining one’s identity. The AYAs expressed concerns for the future related to relationships, education, and employment. Relating to defining one’s identity, many AYAs expressed that the cancer had a negative impact on their body- and self-image. The main themes were visible in the RPs as well as in the photovoice; however, subtle differences in sub-themes were found.
Conclusions
We found that cancer has an effect on many aspects of AYAs’ lives. Further research on how the identified themes play a role in the lives of AYAs with cancer is needed.Zarah Bood, Floor van Liemt, Mirjam Sprangers, Annita Kobes, Yvonne Weeseman, Michael Scherer‑Rath, Jacqueline Tromp, Hanneke van Laarhoven & Esther Helmich (2022) This is what life with cancer looks like: exploring experiences of adolescent and young adults with cancer using two visual approaches. Support Care Cancer 30, 3353–3361 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06775-9
-
Artikel
The expression of ultimate life goals in co-creative art processes with palliative cancer patients
Background
Co-creation, characterized by artists and patients creating a joint work of art, may support patients with the integration of disruptive life events into their life story, such as living with cancer. Focusing on experiences of contingency and life goals could support this process. The research questions are: (1) ‘how are patient’s ultimate life goals and experiences of contingency expressed in the work of art as created in a process of co-creation?’; (2) ‘how do the four phases of integration of experiences of contingency unfold during co-creation?’
Methods
Ten patients who were in a palliative stage of cancer treatment completed co-creation processes. Audio recordings of these co-creation processes were imported in Atlas-Ti and analysed by applying directed content analysis. We searched for life goals and experiences of contingency in the four phases of co-creation; Art communications, Element compilation, Consolidation, Reflection.
Results
Patients used 4–8 sessions (median 5 sessions) with a duration of 90–240 min each (median duration 120 min). All patients expressed their experience of contingency and their ultimate life goals within the four phases of co-creation and in their work of art. A case description is presented illustrating the co-creation process.
Conclusions
During co-creation, patients move through four phases in which experiences of contingency and ultimate life goals can be made explicit through art making and can be expressed in the work of art, supporting integration of experiences of contingency into one’s life narrative.Yvonne Weeseman, Michael Scherer‑Rath, Nirav Christophe, Henny Dörr, Esther Helmich, Mirjam Sprangers, Niels van Poecke and Hanneke van Laarhoven (2023) The expression of ultimate life goals in co-creative art processes with palliative cancer patients. BMC Palliat Care 22, 169. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-023-01294-2
-
Artikel
Co-creative art processes with patients: A theoretical framework and qualitative study among artists
A cancer diagnosis may be experienced as a contingent life event. Co-creation — in which artists together with patients create a work of art reflecting on aspects of the patients’ life story — may be used to support patients to integrate such a contingent life event into their life story. We conducted a qualitative study in which we interviewed 10 professional artists to explore if co-creative art processes could facilitate integration of experiences of contingency in patients. Template analyses were performed in AtlasTi. We identified co-creation as a specific form of support to the process of integration of experiences of contingency. In the formation of a new life narrative, patients transcend the boundaries of their previous life narrative by changing their perspective. Self-transcendence forms a pivotal point in co-creation, which may be helpful for patients to integrate experiences of contingency into their life narratives.
Yvonne Weeseman, Michael Scherer-Rath, Nirav Christophe, Henny Dörr, Zarah M. Bood, Mirjam A. G. Sprangers, Esther Helmich, Hanneke W. M. van Laarhoven (2022). Co-creative art processes with patients: A theoretical framework and qualitative study among artists. PLOS ONE, 17 (4 April), Article e0266401. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266401