Women diagnosed with breast cancer must provide informed consent for the surgical and adjuvant therapy they receive. Caregivers provide various degrees of information and education to patients to help them understand their condition, the treatment and prognosis. It is unclear how patients receive these educational interventions. One method that has been used is to inquire of survivors what they remember and felt about the character and quality of their personal intervention used with them. Thus, a qualitative study was proposed to assess perceptions of educational interventions with the goal of gaining insight into what kinds of education are being used and valued by the survivors.
Breast cancer survivors were invited to participate in several focus groups. Each group was comprised of women from a variety of age groups and lengths of time following diagnosis. The questions ranged from those that asked about the content of educational messages received from initial diagnosis on through to the end of therapy. The analysis consisted of reviewing the content of the information provided to breast cancer patients. Factors such as timing, completeness, level of information, and whether written material accompanied the verbal explanation was explored since these are important factors related to whether women fully understand their treatment options and possible side effects of those therapies. Survivors were also asked about the support they have received since diagnosis, and whether it has been sufficient. Ways to improve the messages delivered to breast cancer patients will be an outcome of the study.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe the quality of the education received by breast cancer patients, and 2. Identify better strategies for sharing information with patients.
Keywords: Breast Cancer, Communication Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.