Saqui Research Analyzes Intervention’s Benefits to Cancer Patients, Survivors

PurdueLogoA nonprofit organization that helps cancer patients and survivors deal with emotional and personal issues caused by cancer has turned to Saqui Research LLC, a Purdue Research Park-based company, to analyze qualitative data about the benefits of its services.

Doorways to Healing Inc., based in Elmira, N.Y., provides a series of three-day therapeutic interventions that give cancer patients and survivors a safe environment in which to explore issues and feelings under the guidance of a psychologist. Its services are currently offered through Lourdes Regional Cancer Center in Binghamton, N.Y., and FitzPatrick Cancer Center in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

"Each intervention, or workshop, provides participants with intensive, nonjudgmental caring; information and skills for healing to take home; and the experience of being supported in a peaceful retreat setting at no cost," said Meredith L. Whitney, president and CEO of Doorways to Healing. "The Doorways to Healing™ program includes a sequence of interventions for women who are cancer survivors, a workshop for couples, and a workshop for family members and caregivers."

Whitney turned to Saqui Research to learn what attendees saw as Doorways to Healing's key benefits and how long those benefits lasted.

"The challenge was to find a researcher with the experience to analyze qualitative data in the form of spontaneous, open-ended narratives," she said. "Saqui Research has analyzed qualitative data from 173 women over a two-year period following their participation in Doorways to Healing's 'Workshop I for Women.'"

Ursula Saqui, founder of Saqui Research, used comprehensive tools to analyze the women's data.

"The most important thing was to capture the heart and soul of what the women experienced right after the workshop and at the follow-up points one year and two years later," she said. "Throughout the analysis, I remained open to hearing any themes expressed by the women, and I wanted to represent them as objectively as possible."

Whitney said the qualitative results provided by Saqui Research are in alignment with quantitative results now emerging in a second study of the Doorways service.

"The women reported clearly that they benefited from the Doorways to Healing service," she said. "The predominant themes involved personal healing, the feeling that new emotional support was available to them, and the acknowledgement that they have been provided with information and skills with which to heal and which they continue to actively use at home."

Whitney said the Doorways service is new in its comprehensiveness and intensity, and that she is excited that its benefits continue actively for at least two years.

"It is important that a finding of this magnitude came from a highly competent analysis of the data because we can be confident about its validity," she said. "We were extremely fortunate to find Saqui Research to fill this role, and we know their professional work will facilitate growth of the Doorways to Healing service."