Table 2.
Major categories from the qualitative content analysis (n=20)
| Category | n (%) | Illustrative quotes from participants |
| Cognitive complaints | ||
| Lost concentration | 17 (85.0) | It’s difficult to focus on a conversation or when reading newspapers or books. My biggest problem is lack of concentration |
| Easily forgetting things or information from others | 15 (75.0) | My memory changed a lot after chemotherapy; when I meet my friend on the street, I can’t even remember her name. Sometimes, nurses tell me information about the illness, and I can’t even remember what they have just told me |
| Feeling it’s hard to understand new things | 7 (35.0) | When I was reading books, I saw the words, but I could not make sense of the words, even when I read the same sentence several times |
| Difficulties in finding right word in general conversation | 4 (20.0) | When I speak with someone in general conversation, it’s hard for me to find the right words |
| Slowing down in working efficiency compared with how they used to be | 2 (10.0) | I was used to being well organised in my work and daily life, but now it’s hard to get back all those abilities, and work has slowed down a lot |
| Perceived causative factors | ||
| Relating to chemotherapy | 15 (75.0) | Even during chemotherapy, I found that my memory changed a lot. Now I have completed the whole cycle of chemotherapy, and more and more memory impairment has appeared |
| Side effects of cancer and its treatment | 12 (60.0) | I believe that a lot of physical examinations, such as CT at the time of diagnosis, the use of analgesics and the surgery procedure are all related to my cognitive problems |
| Ageing | 8 (40.0) | Maybe due to my age, my memory is worse and I’ve started forgetting things quickly |
| Psychosocial issues | 3 (15.0) | Having to deal with too many sources of stress, such as the financial issues related to medical treatment |
| Relating to immune function | 2 (10.0) | After I got this disease and received this series of cancer treatments, my immune function was destroyed, so my memory problems are partly due to this |
| Coping strategies | ||
| Writing memos | 15 (75.0) | Writing down important things, use of diaries or phone reminders to organise daily tasks |
| Self-adjustment and relaxation techniques | 14 (70.0) | Asking myself to focus on one task at a time. When disturbed by other things or people, I’ll adjust myself and refocus on what I was doing. By reading, or listening to music for focus |
| Doing nothing | 6 (30.0) | Now I can do nothing for this problem (cognitive impairment), as this may be due to my age; with older age, cognitive decline appears naturally. Other patients believe these cognitive problems are reversible and may get better gradually |
| Environment organisation | 2 (10.0) | To keep important personal belongs such as keys, eyeglasses, mobile phone in a fixed place |
| TCM such as acupuncture | 1 (5.0) | Doctors told me there were no effective drug therapies for this problem, so I tried acupuncture |
| Supportive care needs from healthcare providers | ||
| Providing common symptoms of cognitive impairment and its effective therapies | 11 (55.0) | It’s great for doctors and nurses to tell me about common signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment, and to provide intervention therapies to treat these problems |
| Providing counselling services to family members | 8 (40.0) | It’s hard for me to remember so much information. Healthcare providers should provide educational information and more counselling services to my family members |
| Need information about possible rehabilitation service | 7 (35.0) | After hospital discharge, where should I seek further rehabilitation service for cognitive problems? Or can I gradually recover from these problems? |
| Offering peer support networks | 2 (10.0) | At the time of diagnosis and during cancer treatment, I felt so worried. I need to connect with women who have had a similar experience, in order to share coping strategies |
| Impact on | ||
| Daily life | 20 (100) | Sometimes, when people speak with me, I immediately forget what they were talking about, or when I’m doing things and people interrupt me, I’ll forget what I wanted to do |
| Quality of life | 9 (45.0) | This disease and its treatment have severely impacted all aspects of my life, and have left me feeling overwhelmed. Now I have a poor memory, slowed thinking process and a large financial burden as a result of the medical costs, causing tension in my family relationship |
| Psychological health | 5 (25.0) | Sometimes my brain becomes a blank, and it seems my memory is not coming back, so I feel really scared |
| Work capability | 3 (15.0) | I have to leave my job, due to my body image now, during and after chemotherapy I lost a lot of hair, and I can’t work for very long, I can only work for a short period of time, then I have to rest |
| Physical health conditions | 2 (10.0) | Cognitive function changes were not obvious, but my health condition was a lot worse; before the cancer diagnosis, my health was OK. But now my sleep is not good, my immune system is much weaker, and due to the loss of physical energy I can’t work too long and need to take a break after working for just a short while |
TCM, traditional Chinese medicine.