Baggrund og Formål: Studier har vist at cancer patienter,der oplever kvalme under kemoterapibehandling,har en nedsat livskvalitet. Formålet med dette studie har væretat beskrive,hvordan cancerpatienter opleverkemoterapi-induceret kvalme og hvilke copingstrategier, de anvenderfor at håndtere og kontrollere kvalme.

Metode:Der blev foretaget en kvalitativ dagborgsundersøgelse med 14 brystcancer patienter i adjuverende kemoterapibehandling på et universitetshospital i Danmark. Kvalitativ indholdsanalyse blev anvendt som analysemetode.

Hovedresultat: Gennem analysen fremkom både et manifest og latent indhold,som beskrev patienterneserfaringer med og reflektioner over oplevelsen af kemoterapi-induceret kvalme. Der blev dannet fem kategorier,appetit, lokalisation, karakter, intensitet ogvarighed.Det latente indhold af disse kategorier blev beskrevet i temaet: kvalme er en fysisk oplevelse med komplekse og modstridende fornemmelser.Patienternes copingstrategier identificeredes gennemseks underkategorierog to kategorier. De to kategoriervar: at struktuere hverdagen med kvalme og at ændre fokus. Patienterne anvendte copingstrategier fra begge kategorier for at opnå kontrol over situationen og genoprette et velbefindende.

Konklusion: Idette studie beskrivercancer patienterkemoterapi-induceret kvalme som en kompleks fysisk oplevelse, der håndteresved hjælp afen bred vifte af copingstrategier. Patientinddragelse er en mulig strategi i udviklingen afsundhedsfremmende aktiviteter,der kan højnelivskvaliteten hoscancerpatienter, somoplever kvalme i forbindelsen med kemoterapibehandlingen

Background and Aim: Several studies have reported low quality of life among cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced nausea.This study aimed to describe cancer patients’ perception of chemotherapy-induced nausea and the coping strategies used to ease nausea during chemotherapy.

Method: Fourteenfemale cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in a Danish university hospital participated in this study.Data were extracted from diaries, followed byqualitative content analysis.

Result: Data analysis comprised both manifest and latent content and revealed the patients’ own experiences of and reflection about perceived chemotherapy-induced nausea.Five categories,appetite, localization, character, intensity, and durationemerged. The latent content of these categories is described by the theme: nausea is a physical experience of complex and contradictory sensations. The results also identified six subcategories and comprised two main categories, which described the women ́s coping strategies: structuring everyday life with nausea and shifting focus. To manage nausea, patients’ employed coping strategies from both categories.

Conclusion: This study used patients’ own assessments to understand both the complexity of nausea and the patients’ description of coping with nausea. A strategy involving patient participation might helpto create health promotion activities that increase quality of life among patients with chemotherapy-induced nausea