Support for an innovative approach to delivering gynaecological cancer nursing guidance: A qualitative exploration -...

Gynaecological cancer nurses in Australia are seeking formal guidance to support them and improve equitable nursing care delivery. No comprehensive guide for specialised nursing care of gynaecological cancers is available; however, it is recognised that challenges exist to guidance implementation and active involvement of stakeholders during development is critical to enhance implementation success. This study aimed to explore expectations of nurses and people with lived experience during development of a guidance resource for specialised gynaecological cancer nursing. This paper presents expectations on content and design.

Utilising an exploratory qualitative descriptive design, gynaecological cancer nurses and people with lived experience of a gynaecological cancer participated in focus groups or interviews following a semi-structured interview guide. Transcripts underwent inductive content analysis.

Participants included 20 nurses and seven people with lived experience of gynaecological cancers. Two major themes emerged: "Support care and educate nurses with content across the care continuum" and "Design the guidance with functionality and practicality for nurses in everyday practice". Participants wanted provision of "practical and instructive" guidance that "incorporates interactive elements", "ensures easy accessibility" and "integrates visual appeal". "Comprehensive patient support content linked to clinical tools and external resources" and "Including education on disease, nursing roles and well-being" were considered important.

Expectations for gynaecological cancer nursing guidance to include content across the care continuum and functionality supports the need to plan for an innovative resource format. Further exploration of implementation determinants, along with adopting an implementation science framework and integrating adult learning principles is recommended.