Challenges Facing Oncology Nurses in Jordan: A Qualitative Study

Background: The literature shows that oncology nurses have more stressors than nurses in other units. They face many challenges both within and outside the work environment that affect them negatively. Most of the reviewed studies concerning these challenges were conducted in developed countries.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges experienced by oncology nurses in Jordan during their daily practice.

Method: A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Semistructured individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with 24 nurses. Participants were selected from oncology departments in one of the biggest governmental hospitals in Jordan.

Results: Two main themes were drawn from the data analysis. The first discussed the personal challenges that oncology nurses encountered. These included emotional attachment to patients and difficulties in separating work and personal life. The second related to organizational challenges in the work environment, which included the nurses' lack of authority to inform patients about their diseases, nursing staff and supply shortages, and a lack of orientation programs. All of these factors affected the psychological status of the nurses.

Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that the working environment for oncology nurses is highly stressful and demanding and these nurses face many challenges in their work. The understanding and consideration of these challenges by stakeholders, managers, and organizational leaders would lead to improvements in the nurses' psychological state, thereby enhancing the quality of care in these units and helping with staff retention.