Information needs and disclosure preferences among Jordanian women diagnosed with breast cancer.

ABSTRACT

To determine Jordanian women's attitudes toward disclosure of breast cancer information and their information needs. A descriptive comparative research design was used in this study. A convenience sample of 156 Jordanian women who had a confirmed first time diagnosis of breast cancer within 18 months prior to the study and had treatment at three hospitals in Central and Northern Jordan was recruited for the study. A modified version of the Information Needs Questionnaire (INQ) was used for data collection. The vast majority of patients wanted to know whether the diagnosis was breast cancer (92%) and the stage of the disease (78%). Information about spread of the disease and chances of cure was of highest importance for the majority of the patients (88% and 85% respectively). Younger patients and those with higher education were more likely to express a preference for truthful disclosure of breast cancer diagnosis. The majority of Jordanian women wanted information about breast cancer diagnosis, chances of cure, and treatment side effects.