• Moosa Sajjadi, Maryam Rassouli, Abbas Abbaszadeh, Jeannine Brant, and MajdHamid AlaviHA.
• Author Affiliations: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Social Development & Health Promotion Research Centre, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Iran (Dr Sajjadi); and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Nursing (Drs Rassouli and Abbaszadeh), and School of Paramedical Sciences, Department of Biostatistics (Dr Alavi Majd), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; and Billings Clinic, Montana (Dr Brant).
• Cancer Nurs. 2016 Jul 1; 39 (4): E1-9.

BackgroundFor cancer patients, uncertainty is a pervasive experience and a major psychological stressor that affects many aspects of their lives. Uncertainty is a multifaceted concept, and its understanding for patients depends on many factors, including factors associated with various sociocultural contexts. Unfortunately, little is known about the concept of uncertainty in Iranian society and culture.ObjectivesThis study aimed to clarify the concept and explain lived experiences of illness uncertainty in Iranian cancer patients.MethodsIn this hermeneutic phenomenological study, 8 cancer patients participated in semistructured in-depth interviews about their experiences of uncertainty in illness. Interviews continued until data saturation was reached. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted using 6 stages of the van Manen phenomenological approach.ResultsSeven main themes emerged from patients' experiences of illness uncertainty of cancer. Four themes contributed to uncertainty including "Complexity of Cancer," "Confusion About Cancer," "Contradictory Information," and "Unknown Future." Two themes facilitated coping with uncertainty including "Seeking Knowledge" and "Need for Spiritual Peace." One theme, "Knowledge Ambivalence," revealed the struggle between wanting to know and not wanting to know, especially if bad news was delivered.ConclusionUncertainty experience for cancer patients in different societies is largely similar. However, some experiences (eg, ambiguity in access to medical resources) seemed unique to Iranian patients.Implications For PracticeThis study provided an outlook of cancer patients' experiences of illness uncertainty in Iran. Cancer patients' coping ability to deal with uncertainty can be improved.

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