The Meaning of Healing to Adult Patients with Advanced Cancer.

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, "What does the term 'healing' mean to you?" Data were de-identified, transcribed verbatim, and imported in NVivo for thematic analysis in line with interpretive phenomenological methods.