Expressive writing and breast reconstructive surgery decision-making
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study exploring the impact of sharing accounts of current life issues and events on decision-making for breast cancer related reconstructive surgery.
IRAS ID
139973
Contact name
Katherine Swainston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Research summary
Enhancing patient satisfaction with the treatment decision-making process is at the forefront of current NHS policy. Research suggests that ignoring personal and social psychological issues can be a barrier in the shared decision-making process and has identified the need for patient-centred individualised care.
Women who opt for mastectomy face a multitude of decisions from whether to undergo breast reconstructive surgery or not, and if so, whether to have an immediate or delayed procedure. Women may also be asked to contemplate decisions regarding the type of reconstructive surgery to be conducted. Accordingly, decision-making for breast reconstructive surgery poses particular challenges yet to date has received little research attention.
This research will invite ten women with newly diagnosed breast cancer to write down recent life events and current issues that they feel may influence the treatment decision-making process for breast reconstructive surgery. This piece of expressive writing will be shared with the woman’s allocated breast surgeon and breast care nurse prior to the second surgical consultation. This initiative has been designed to facilitate greater personalisation of care and to provide the breast care team with potentially pertinent information prior to the decision-making consultation. Approximately four to eight weeks later women will be interviewed using a semi-structured approach, to explore their experiences of writing down and sharing their thoughts with the breast care team. Women’s perceptions of the impact of this initiative on their role in the decision-making process will also be examined. Finally, the three breast surgeons based within the University Hospitals of Morecombe Bay NHS Trust will be interviewed to uncover their perceptions of the utility of this intervention and how being aware of women’s personal circumstances influenced discussions and women’s involvement in decision-making for breast reconstructive surgery.REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0332
Date of REC Opinion
24 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion