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Driving forces that transformed the care of individuals with cancer from 1900-1940
1School of Nursing, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, USA. kkm7p@virginia.edu
Purpose/Objectives:
To identify driving forces that established the groundwork for a more dedicated approach to health care for individuals with cancer in the early 20th century.
Data Sources:
Letters, books, and journal articles published in the early 20th century, as well as materials and communications from several archival sources.
Data Synthesis:
The increasing incidence of cancer cases and the building of cancer hospitals were among the dramatic forces in the late 19th century that contributed to the transformation of the clinical care of individuals with advanced cancer. Historical research provided evidence for the early development of the specialization of oncology nursing.
Conclusions:
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the stigma attached to cancer contributed to delays in diagnosis. The great majority of patients were diagnosed with advanced diseases that were incurable. Providing care to patients with cancer was a problem in hospitals and homes. Radical surgeries and the therapeutic use of radium placed unique demands on patients, their family caregivers, and nurses. Nurses adopted new roles and provided detailed bedside care routines; educated patients, families, and the public; published journal articles and textbooks; and advocated for change.
Implications For Nursing:
Early leaders provided the vision, established the foundation, and cultivated the passion for the emergence of specialized nurses to provide individualized care to patients with cancer. Oncology nurses and nurse leaders are needed to sustain the continual transformation of the specialty so that the individualized needs of patients with cancer are met.
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