Study on the psychological experience of patients with hematological malignancies receiving CAR-T therapy

Objective To describe the psychological experience of patients treated with chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) in Department of Hematology before and after treatment, so as to provide reference for clinical psychological nursing care. Methods In the current study, qualitative research methods were adopted. Data were collected from 20 patients after CAR-T treatment through interviews, and the data were analyzed by content analysis. Results During CAR-T treatment, patients had a variety of psychological experiences, which can be mainly divided into two parts: positive psychological experience and negative psychological experience. Patients might obtain various psychological experiences at different time points. Positive psychological experiences before treatment included trust, hope, rejoicing and rationality. Positive psychological experiences at the end of the treatment included joy, satisfaction, and confidence. Negative psychological experiences before treatment included helplessness, mistrust and worry. Negative psychological experiences at the end of treatment included concern, denial, regret, imbalance, sadness and disappointment. Conclusions Patients receiving CAR-T therapy present more positive psychological experiences before treatment, with different psychological experiences due to various therapeutic effects after treatment. Medical staff should understand the psychological feelings of patients at different treatment stages, identify their psychological states, and provide them with individualized psychological supports.