Managing Cancer at Home: A Qualitative Exploration of Caregiver and Healthcare Provider Perspectives.
Cancer care is increasingly delivered in outpatient and home settings, transferring substantial clinical responsibilities to patients and family caregivers. Although self-management interventions are widely studied, less is known about how home-based cancer self-management is experienced and co-produced by family caregivers and healthcare providers within real-world contexts.
To explore home-based cancer self-management from the perspectives of family caregivers and healthcare providers in Oman.
A qualitative descriptive design was used. Purposive sampling recruited 25 family caregivers of adult cancer survivors and 26 healthcare providers from 3 tertiary oncology institutions in Muscat, Oman. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted and analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis.
Participants included 51 individuals representing both caregiving and professional perspectives. Five themes emerged: relocation of clinical work to the home, structured education and skill transfer, psychological protection and emotional labor, negotiated illness disclosure, and support systems amid structural barriers. Self-management was described as a relational and system-embedded process shaped by family dynamics, professional guidance, and contextual constraints.
Home-based cancer self-management extends beyond symptom control to include emotional regulation, communication negotiation, and navigation of systemic demands. Its effectiveness depends on coordinated interaction among caregivers, healthcare providers, and supportive infrastructure.
Oncology nurses play a central role in preparing and supporting family caregivers through structured, repeated education and clear discharge guidance. Routine integration of psychosocial assessment and culturally sensitive communication strategies can strengthen treatment adherence and improve sustainability of home-based cancer care.
To explore home-based cancer self-management from the perspectives of family caregivers and healthcare providers in Oman.
A qualitative descriptive design was used. Purposive sampling recruited 25 family caregivers of adult cancer survivors and 26 healthcare providers from 3 tertiary oncology institutions in Muscat, Oman. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted and analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis.
Participants included 51 individuals representing both caregiving and professional perspectives. Five themes emerged: relocation of clinical work to the home, structured education and skill transfer, psychological protection and emotional labor, negotiated illness disclosure, and support systems amid structural barriers. Self-management was described as a relational and system-embedded process shaped by family dynamics, professional guidance, and contextual constraints.
Home-based cancer self-management extends beyond symptom control to include emotional regulation, communication negotiation, and navigation of systemic demands. Its effectiveness depends on coordinated interaction among caregivers, healthcare providers, and supportive infrastructure.
Oncology nurses play a central role in preparing and supporting family caregivers through structured, repeated education and clear discharge guidance. Routine integration of psychosocial assessment and culturally sensitive communication strategies can strengthen treatment adherence and improve sustainability of home-based cancer care.
Authors
Al Qadire Al Qadire, Abdelrahman Abdelrahman, Al Qadire Al Qadire, Alanazi Alanazi, Almagharbeh Almagharbeh, Al Omari Al Omari
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