Caring for Oncology: Challenges and Daily Survival Experienced by Nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Caring for Oncology is complex, with professionals working in this area often subject to emotional risk factors, requiring the same skills to deal with the feelings of others and with their own emotions regarding cancer care and its challenges. Objective: To understand the perspective of nurses about the process of coping with the challenges faced in the care of the person with cancer. Method: Qualitative research, performed at a cancer hospital in the interior of Minas Gerais, with nurses from this institution. The data collection was carried out by a script with open questions, and ended when the saturation of the data was verified. Data were analyzed using the Content Analysis technique. Results: Thirteen nurses were interviewed, whose testimonies gave rise to three categories: the first one discusses nurses' daily routine in Oncology, pointing out positive, negative and inherent challenges to this practice; the second category indicates the attitudinal competencies fundamental to the oncology care process, such as empathy, humanization, affection, acceptance, maturity, strength and patience; and the third category presents an important improvement in nurses' practice in dealing with the emotional issue, in addition to the forms of coping used by this professional to support their daily actions. Conclusion: The results point out that it is necessary (re) to take a new look at the training of health professionals in addition to the technical skills, signaling to the relevance of training in human and relational competences, indispensable to the work process within Oncology.