Cancer patients' expressions of emotional cues and concerns and oncology nurses' responses, in an online patient-nurse communication service

Objective

To (1) investigate emotional cues and concerns (C&;C) of cancer patients expressed in e-mail communication with oncology nurses in an online patient–nurse communication service (OPNC), and (2) explore how nurses responded to patients’ C&;C.

Methods

283 e-messages sent from 38 breast and 22 prostate cancer patients and 286 e-responses from five oncology nurses were coded with the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences.

Results

We identified 102 cues and 33 concerns expressed in patients’ messages. Cues indicating expression of uncertainty or hope, occurred most frequently (in 38.5% of messages), followed by concerns (in 24.4% of messages). Nurses responded to 85.2% of patients’ C&;Cs; more than half of patients’ C&;Cs were met with a mixture of information giving and empathic responses.

Conclusion

Patients with breast and prostate cancer express many C&;C in e-mail communications with oncology nurses, who demonstrated satisfactory sensitivity to patients’ emotions in their responses to patients.

Practice implications

Offering e-communication with oncology nurses to cancer patients is a promising and feasible supplement to usual care to address and relieve patients’ concerns and emotional distress during illness and recovery.