Hermeneutic Phenomenological Reflections of Cancer Care

The book contributes to the enhancement of evidence based knowledge in the area of cancer nursing care by giving voice to those involved in the caring process namely the patient, the nurse and the patient advocate. This book focuses on the holistic exploration of the nursing care provided to patients with cancer by taking into consideration issues such as spirituality, religiosity, respect, values and ethnohistoric background. This is achieved by a turn to Philosophy as a methodology for nursing research. Explicitly, Hermeneutic Phenomenology is applied as it was inspired by the philosophical ideas of Paul Ricoeur. The book offers a step-to-step description of Hermeneutic Phenomenology by unveiling the processes of distanciation, appropriation and the hermeneutic circle to the reader. The utilization of these processes in the lived experiences of the participants assigns new appropriated interpretations. The book opens up a new pathway to quality cancer nursing care by introducing a descriptive theory of the phenomenon. This theory reflects the aspects that are considered important by the users and at the same time promised by the providers of the health care services.