Sexuality Following Breast Cancer - Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An evaluation of the sexual consequences of breast cancer and discussions between patient and healthcare professionals in their therapeutic encounters. Can Design Activism, using art as a metaphor for patient voice, develop a tool to empower patients to open conversations, and to challenge the health professional's notion of patient needs.
IRAS ID
215806
Contact name
Josie Butcher
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cheshire and Wirral NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 29 days
Research summary
To understand whether healthcare professionals adequately discuss the potential sexual consequences of treatment with patients suffering from breast cancer.
To understand whether through design activism a tool can be created to enable patient empowerment and hence the opening of conversations about sexual consequences of treatment.
Work will be carried out by development of three focus groups of patients with breast cancer (one group at 18 months post treatment, one group after diagnosis and one with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer, who are prepared to discuss their sexual difficulties, needs, emotions, relationship effects, body image issues, communication difficulties and losses, resulting from their diagnosis and treatments. These groups will be facilitated through The Clatterbridge Oncology Service at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
The focus groups will be lead by an experienced consultant psychosexual therapist and a consultant psycho-oncologist i.e. there will be safeguards in place to manage distress or difficulties encountered.
Feedback from the focus groups will be tabulated into common themes. A software programme will also be used to extract themes from the responses.
Development of the design activism tool will be led the Chief Investigator by an artist team. Participants from the three focus groups will be invited to attend meetings to discuss the development of the design activism tool.REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1943
Date of REC Opinion
6 Dec 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion