Experiences of involvement processes during participation in cancer service user initiatives from an adolescent and young adult perspective.

Background: Service user participation contributes to the improvement of health care services for the betterment of conditions experienced by patients. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how adolescents and young adults (AYAs) experience involvement processes in practice and what it would take to achieve a high degree of involvement according to AYAs.

Objectives: To explore: (1) how AYAs with cancer experienced involvement processes during participation in three different service user involvement initiatives (development of an app, development of a book and youth panel meetings), and (2) AYAs' perceptions of determination and collaborative areas between AYAs and professionals.

Impact of Service User Involvement from the Perspective of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer Experience.

Knowledge of the impact of participating in service user involvement within a health care setting among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer is limited, and it is unclear as to what AYAs with cancer gain from their participation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of participating in service user involvement initiatives from the perspective of AYA cancer patients and AYA cancer survivors. Individual semistructured interviews were performed with 12 AYAs aged 16-29 who had been or were in current treatment for cancer.

Helping Others: Reasons for Participation in Service User Involvement Initiatives from the Perspective of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer.

Service user involvement, which implies involvement in decision-making processes important for organizing, developing, and evaluating health care, is sparsely investigated from the perspective of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate AYAs' reasons for participation in service user involvement initiatives during their cancer course. Data from 12 semistructured interviews with AYA cancer patients and AYA cancer survivors aged 16-29 years were analyzed using thematic analysis.