Perceptions and characterization of cancer patient's families from the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología E.S.E., Bogotá D.C., Colombia: a view from risk perspective

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer not only affects the person who suffers it, but also affects those people surrounding him, especially the family group who faces an experience they are not prepare for, and that can even break down their structural unit as a family.
Objective, materials and methods: With this purpose, 120 families were interviewed, all of them with an adult oncological patient attended in the National Institute of Cancerology in Bogotá, between July 21 and August 29 of 2003. These families were selected by a no-probabilistic convenience method. The Total Family Risk (IRFT 7-70) instrument was applied; this instrument has been designed and used for characterization in Colombians families risks.
Results: With a closely 56% of women, the total population of the survey was conformed by 829 people, with an average of 6.9 members per family. The major risks detected in the families are among others: health practices (which explores the inappropriate manage of the health care), family morbility and health services. None of the families in the survey presented a low risk, there was a midway risk in 13 of the families (11%) and a high risk in 107 families (89%).
Conclusion: It is a matter of concern for the assisting groups to give the right support, for helping the families not to collapse because of cancer diagnosis. To get a view of the family with oncological patient as a whole, it is important to get close to it, to get to know its structure, typology, major problems perceived on its physical, economical, social and affective environment.