Women's experiences between surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative investigation of the experiences of women with breast cancer between surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy
IRAS ID
156961
Contact name
Sarah Wilson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Research summary
Much research has looked at the importance of communication and information-giving in cancer care. This has suggested that peoples' satisfaction with their treatment is related to the level of information they receive and the relationships they have with the people treating them. Studies have found that people often report high levels of unmet needs in terms of the information they would like about diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, people with cancer may go through a number of different experiences during diagnosis and treatment. Often people will receive treatment from a range of healthcare professionals, sometimes in different places – this means that there may be several different experiences to consider when asking people about communication in cancer care.
Research looking specifically at the needs of women with breast cancer generally shows that women have a high need for information about their treatment. There are mixed results from studies in terms of information needs over the course of treatment - it is unclear if these change or stay the same. Studies that interview women about their experiences may give more detailed information than studies that use questionnaires.
The aim of this study is to find out about the experiences of women with breast cancer in the period between surgery and further treatment, and their experiences of communicating with the different healthcare professionals involved in their care. Of particular interest are women's expectations of chemotherapy and how these expectations are formed.
Women with a diagnosis of breast cancer who have had surgery and are scheduled to receive chemotherapy as part of their treatment will be invited to take part in the study. They will be interviewed about their experiences of treatment so far and about their expectations of chemotherapy. The interviews will be analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, which is a way of analysing and understanding data gained from interviewing participants.
It is hoped that the results of the study will give insight into the experiences and needs of women with breast cancer at this particular point in their treatment. This could help the development of ways of meeting their needs and helping women manage any distress they may experience at this time. The results may also help to develop new ways of assessing patient needs and new approaches to communication for healthcare staff to be developed. The results may generate ideas for further research in this area.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 1
REC reference
14/WS/1103
Date of REC Opinion
28 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion