Family CARE-ON: A new thesis proposal the School of Nursing transform support for families dealing with cancer

The School of Nursing at the University of Navarra held the defense of Nerea Azcárate Cenoz’s thesis , titled“Co-design of a Family Support Intervention Based on Therapeutic Conversation Aimed at Cancer Patients and Their Families.” The work, supervised by Drs. Nuria Esandi Larramendi and Cristina Alfaro Díaz, proposes a paradigm shift in outpatient oncology care by integrating the family unit as the central focus of care.

Nerea research is based on the premise that a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering event that affects not only the patient’s well-being but also the dynamics and functioning of their entire family environment. Although interventions based on therapeutic conversation (IF-CT) have been shown to reduce suffering and improve coping, their implementation in internship nursing internship remains limited due to the difficulty of adapting them to the real needs of each family.

Participatory Methodology: Patients and Families as Designers
To overcome these barriers, the thesis an experience-based approach . Patients, family members, and nursing professionals from the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN) as core topic stakeholders.

The process included observations, individual interviews, and feedback sessions, which helped identify three fundamental pillars of care: recognizing cancer as a “family matter,” the importance of emotional communication, and the need to establish a relationship of trust with the nurse.

Family CARE-ON: A guide the internship
The result of this research the Family CARE-ON intervention, a proposal around three essential components:

• Engagement and Connection (Engaging): A meeting at the time of diagnosis to establish a relationship of trust.

• Support: This consists of three therapeutic conversation sessions at critical points (diagnosis, start of treatment, and during treatment) and a follow-up call.

• Empowerment: A meeting designed to strengthen the family's ability to cope with the challenges of the illness.

The thesis that Family CARE-ON represents an innovative and necessary approach to standardizing family care in oncology, hematology, and radiation therapy. This intervention not only improves the quality of perceived support but also lays the instructions future programs of study the feasibility and effectiveness of these models in routine internship .