Deficient Health Care Services as Barriers to Meet Care Needs of Gynecological Cancer Survivors in Indonesia: A Qualitative Inquiry

Objectives: This study aimed to gain insight into the unmet care needs and health care service barriers experienced by Indonesian gynecological cancer survivors after cancer therapy. Data Sources: Twenty purposively selected women who had completed gynecological cancer therapy for at least 1 year participated in a descriptive qualitative study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and thematically analyzed. Conclusion: The analysis constructed two themes and seven subthemes: (a) unmet care needs (subthemes: late side effects; cancer recurrence; stigma of cancer transmission; social-economic concerns), (b) deficient functions of health care services (subthemes: short consultation time; unempathetic health professionals; and inefficient time and cost for the health care services). The gynecological cancer survivors experienced shortages of informational, psychological, and socioeconomic support after cancer therapy because of the deficient quality of the health care services. Implication for Nursing Practice: Nursing interventions could mitigate the unmet care needs of gynecological cancer survivors after cancer therapy through patient-centered care services and multidisciplinary collaboration.