Introduction
There are many chronic health conditions that affect older adults. One of the chronic health conditions is cancer. Due to the conditions, the elderly have varying health priorities, which influence their acceptance or rejection of treatment. There are few studies that have examined the factors that influence the decision-making process for cancer treatment. Therefore, Puts et al. (2015) conducted a qualitative study in order to establish the factors that affect the elderly in making a decision to accept or reject cancer treatment.
Type of Qualitative Study
The study was phenomenological. The phenomenological study is normally designed to explore the perceptions of people and their understanding of a particular situation. Phenomenological studies describe the reasons that lead to certain practices. In the study, Puts et al. (2015) explored the factors that affect the acceptance or rejection of cancer treatment among the elderly.
The Rationale for Selection
I selected the study in order to understand the factors that influence the older adults’ decision-making process about cancer treatment. According to Puts et al. (2015), the treatment decisions for cancer among older adults are very difficult because the elderly may be suffering from other chronic diseases. Studies have shown that the refusal of the recommended treatment is common among the elderly population. The refusal results in increased recurrences of diseases (Puts et al., 2015). In the case of cancer treatment, rejection of treatment leads to reduced survival rates. Therefore, the study provided relevant information that could be used by health care professionals to increase adherence to cancer treatment among older adults.
The Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to determine the factors that lead to the elderly accepting or rejecting the treatment of cancer. Thus, Puts et al. (2015) conducted a systematic review in order to synthesize the various factors and explore how they influence the decisions relating to cancer treatment.
Methods
The study was a systematic review of studies in various databases. The study incorporated longitudinal, cross-sectional, and observation studies that related to acceptance or rejection of cancer treatment among the elderly. Ten databases were used. The inclusion criteria included qualitative studies.
Conclusions
The factors that influence the decision to accept or reject cancer treatment vary considerably. However, the recommendations by the health official were the major factors that influenced older adults’ decisions. In addition, the study established that the elderly declined some recommended cancer treatment due to fear of side effects and the negative perceptions they had relating to particular treatments.
References
Puts, M., Tapscott, B., Fitch, M., Howell, M., Monette, J., Krzyzanowska, M., & Alibhai. S. (2015). A systematic review of factors influencing older adults’ decision to accept or decline cancer treatment. Cancer Treatment Reviews, 41 (1), 197–215.