"The moment is all we have": Patients and visitors reflect on a staff Christmas choir

Abstract

Objective: To examine how performances by the Staff Christmas Choir of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre ("Peter Mac") affected inpatients, outpatients and visitors in 2008. Design, setting and participants: During the Christmas season 2008, the Peter Mac Staff Christmas Choir gave seven performances at the Centre. Locations included inpatient wards, outpatient waiting areas and a cafeteria. To assess their response to the choir, oncology inpatients, outpatients and visitors (including early-departing bystanders) were given anonymous, semi-structured questionnaires during and after performances. To analyse the responses, we used a constructivist research approach informed by grounded theory...