Title
The experience of spouses as informal caregivers for recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants
Abstract
Spouses often are the primary caregiver for the hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients and participate in the transplant recipients' care throughout the HSCT trajectory. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the experiences of spouses of HSCT recipients during the acute phase of the transplant trajectory. The participants were spousal caregivers (8 wives and 3 husbands) of transplant recipients. Each participant was interviewed 1 to 6 times. Data were analyzed using Spradley's domain analysis. As couples entered the transplant experience, spouses described a sense of dislocation from normal life. They were now riding a rollercoaster in the dark as they lived the uncertainty of this risky therapy. Spouses structured the uncertainty with rituals, formed a positive perspective, and envisioned the future. They described a caregiving role but also needed to balance "me and my world" with "us and our world." © 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0b013e31819962e0
Keywords
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant, Informal caregivers
Publication Date
5-1-2009
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Margaret E., June Eilers, Judith A. Heermann, and Rita Million. "The experience of spouses as informal caregivers for recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants." Cancer nursing 32, no. 3 (2009): E15-E23.
Journal Title
Cancer Nursing
