A Systematic Review and Metasynthesis of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) Patient's Experiences of Long-Term Monitoring Clinics from the Patient's Perspective

TL;DR

This study explores how hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients feel about long-term monitoring clinics, focusing on their relationships with healthcare providers, logistical challenges, and fears of cancer recurrence.

Contribution

The study provides a qualitative synthesis of HSCT patients' experiences with long-term monitoring clinics, highlighting key themes influencing their care experience.

Findings

Patients emphasize the importance of maintaining good relationships with healthcare providers.

Logistical challenges are a significant concern for patients attending monitoring clinics.

Fear of cancer recurrence is weakly connected to patients' experiences of monitoring clinics.

Abstract

This study aimed to synthesize all qualitative evidence on the experiences of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients attending long-term monitoring clinics from their perspective. A systematic search of the literature was undertaken across 8 databases. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to evaluate each study's quality. Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research was employed to assess confidence in each finding. Three themes from 4 qualitative studies were identified relating to patients’ experiences, “[It's] important to maintain a good relationship with the nurses and doctors,” “There's always the thing about the logistics,” and “Once you have cancer, you’re always thinking do I have it again?”. The findings suggest that HSCT patients’ experiences of long-term follow-up care clinics are influenced by the patient-provider relationship and the logistical set-up of monitoring practices, and weakly connected with fear of cancer recurrence. Future research is needed to understand the impact of each finding of this review, specifically in relation to patients’ country of residence to gain a greater understanding of their monitoring support needs.

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