Nursing diagnoses using Roy's Adaptation Model for persons with cancer receiving external beam radiation therapy

Abstract

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to identify and describe the nursing diagnoses and associated defining characteristics for outpatient radiation therapy clients with either head and neck cancer (n = 15) or digestive organs cancer (n = 15). Based on patients' self-reported symptoms, a series of three panels clustered defining characteristics with adaptive modes, next formulated nursing diagnoses based on those characteristics, and lastly validated the compiled list of nursing diagnoses, defining characteristics, and adaptive modes. The findings of 28 nursing diagnoses generated for head and neck cancer and 25 diagnoses for digestive organs cancer indicated that radiation clients experience a gamut of patient care needs which require nursing management. Results of the comparison between the original study using Gordon's Functional Health Patterns and this one using Roy's Adaptation Model as the conceptual framework suggest that a universal set of nursing diagnoses exist for the cancer client experiencing external beam radiation therapy.