MiMES (Military Mesothelioma Experience Study)
This research was part of a larger project run by Mesothelioma UK that aims to improve the service and care provision to people who have served in the armed forces with mesothelioma.
In June 2023, a paper was published in Cancer Nursing Practice from Virginia Sherborne’s PhD study, which was linked to the MiMES project. This focused on clinical practice implications relating to the psychological effects of mesothelioma on UK veterans and their family caregivers.
In September 2022, a paper was published from Virginia Sherborne's thesis, which was linked to the MiMES project. The paper reported a selection of her findings, and the themes developed included ‘Going the extra mile’; ‘Shifts in previously robust characteristics and roles’; and ‘Needing to know’. Virginia found that military culture impacted both patients and carers, with participants reporting a reluctance to show weakness. Carers experienced guilt and traumatic stress symptoms. Moral injury was reported relating to carers’ interactions with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the National Health Service (NHS).
Our 2021 paper from the European Journal of Oncology Nursing on the experiences of male military veterans with mesothelioma can be accessed here.
A full report of the study can be accessed here.
We have also developed some pen portraits as educational resources for the MiMES project, which are available here.