Factors Influencing Patient Choice in Type of Breast Reconstruction
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Factors Influencing Patient Choice in Type of Breast Reconstruction: A Qualitative Study
IRAS ID
178820
Contact name
Dinush LM Lankage
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 29 days
Research summary
The National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction (NMBR) Audit described the provision of mastectomy and breast reconstruction services in the UK. Some key issues with the breast reconstruction service were identified, including poor satisfaction with implant based reconstruction, despite it being the most commonly performed type of immediate reconstruction. Interestingly, the vast majority of patients rating information provision regarding their operation as “the right amount” in the NMBR Audit. The audit also suggested that there may be difficulty in accessing the plastic surgery service for immediate reconstructions, and that patients were not being offered or correctly counseled about immediate reconstruction. These findings warrant investigation into the decision making process behind choosing a type of breast reconstruction. There is little evidence in medical literature exploring patient perception of factors influencing their choice in type of breast reconstruction.
This study aims to explore these factors, through a study qualitative in design. Approximately 56 patients across two participating NHS sites will be interviewed, following a 45 minute semi-structured interview schedule. These 56 patients will be sampled to allow variation in age, ethnicity, timing and type of reconstruction. A second arm of will involve 8 semi-structured interviews with 2 breast care nurses and consultant surgeons across the 2 sites (2 oncoplastic breast surgeons, 2 breast surgeons not performing oncoplastic work, and 2 plastic surgeons). This aspect of the study will be carried out via face-to-face, semi-structured interviews.
This exploration will help us find out what patients find important when choosing a type of breast reconstruction – there is little in the literature about this. Findings will be utilized to recommend improvements in the service, namely with information provision, decision support and possibly access to oncoplastic/plastic surgery services.REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0488
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion