Abstract

Advances in medicine and technology have transformed cancer into a chronic disease state: enabling earlier, treatable, diagnoses and longer lives. However, the focus in medicine remains in quantity of life: failing to address the multitude of stressors influencing quality of life. Quality of life considerations during treatment tend to focus on physical symptoms of disease or side effects of treatment, negating important quality of life interventions offered through Palliative Care. Palliative Care focuses on the psychosocial, emotional and spiritual aspect of living with cancer. Yet, it remains an untapped resource in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VAHCS), often reserved until later or terminal stages of disease. However, Veterans and families begin to experience such stressors at the time of initial diagnosis, which negatively influences healing and overall quality of life. In an era, focusing on improved quality and overall outcomes, one must question the barriers to earlier initiation of services.

Janice Schwartz

Author Details

Janice Schwartz, MNA, RN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Thesis

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Other

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Palliative Care, Hospice, Supportive Care, Cancer, Chronic Disease, Barriers, Quality of Life, Veteran

Advisor

Cathy Glennon

Degree

Master's

Degree Grantor

Aspen University

Degree Year

2017

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2019-03-13

Full Text of Presentation

wf_yes

Download

Share

COinS