Telenursing practices for the relief of symptoms in patients with cancer: A qualitative study

Abstract: Objective This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of telenursing practices for palliative symptom management in patients with cancer. Methods Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling to identify nurses with experience in providing telenursing for patients with cancer. Semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face or online to explore participants' experiences between October 2024 and January 2025, and thematic analysis was then used to analyze the data. Results Ten participants (mean nursing clinical experience: 16.20 years; SD=13.44) were included in this study. Four themes were identified in telenursing practices for symptom relief in patients with advanced cancer: information gathering in telenursing under conditions of uncertainty, clinical reasoning in telenursing, telenursing care practices in non-face-to-face setting, and key elements in telenursing. Information gathering comprised two sub-themes: "Symptom data acquisition via remote devices," and "Addressing inadequate information from remote devices." Clinical reasoning included two sub-themes: "Clinical assessment of non-face-to-face patient data" and "Judgment of urgency." Care practices consisted of five sub-themes: "Strategies for non-face-to-face interactions," "Selecting intervention methods based on patient characteristics," "Practice based on protocols," "Selection of follow-up methods," and "Emergency response." Key elements include two sub-themes: "Safe and versatile telenursing systems" and "Trusting relationships." Conclusions Telenursing practices for symptom relief in patients with cancer are characterized by adaptations to non-face-to-face care delivery while maintaining core nursing competencies. Notably, establishing trusting relationships remains a critical element of effective telenursing practice.