{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T03:47:12Z","timestamp":1787284032396,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,13]],"date-time":"2023-01-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1673568000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institutes of Health Clinical Center"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This study aimed to explore the meaning of healing from the perspective of adult patients with advanced cancer. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a primary study which used a cognitive interview approach to assess the face and content validity of a spiritual and psychological healing measure (NIH-HEALS). This analysis focused on responses to the question, \u201cWhat does the term \u2018healing\u2019 mean to you?\u201d Data were de-identified, transcribed verbatim, and imported in NVivo for thematic analysis in line with interpretive phenomenological methods. Results: Thirty-five adults with advanced cancer participated in the study. We identified nine major themes: acceptance, surrender, faith, hope, peace, freedom from suffering (e.g., pain, problems, or other bothersome factors), overcoming\/transcending disease, positive emotions (e.g., happiness), recovery from illness or disease. One participant discussed healing as synonymous with death, and two associated it with social relations and social support. Conclusion: Themes from patients\u2019 responses suggest subjective and varied definitions of healing which encompass physical, social, spiritual, and psychological domains of well-being, distinct from the physical cure of disease. Clinicians should adopt a holistic, person-centered approach to care, attending to bodily, psychosocial, spiritual, and emotional needs to help patients find meaning in their experiences, nourish resilience, and experience a sense of healing\u2014as they define it.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20021474","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,13]],"date-time":"2023-01-13T04:02:04Z","timestamp":1673582524000},"page":"1474","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["The Meaning of Healing to Adult Patients with Advanced Cancer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Eve","family":"Namisango","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"African Palliative Care Association, Kampala P.O. Box 72518, Uganda"},{"name":"Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute King\u2019s College London, London SE5 9RS, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emmanuel","family":"Luyirika","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Palliative Care Association, Kampala P.O. Box 72518, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lawrence","family":"Matovu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Formerly-Department of Clinical Services, Hospice Africa Uganda, Kampala P.O. Box 7757, Uganda"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3764-0293","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ann","family":"Berger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Ferlay, J., Ervik, M., Lam, F., Colombet, M., Mery, L., and Pi\u00f1eros, M. (2020). 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Care"}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/20\/2\/1474\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T18:05:10Z","timestamp":1760119510000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/20\/2\/1474"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,13]]},"references-count":54,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph20021474"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph20021474","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,13]]}}}