Information Needs of Patients With Breast Cancer at Years One, Three, and Five After Diagnosis.
Clin Breast Cancer
; 18(6): e1269-e1275, 2018 12.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30153977
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The information needs of breast cancer patients at diagnosis have been studied extensively. However, with cancer survival improving, the era of cancer care has entered a more chronic phase with an associated paucity of data related to longer term information requirements. The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the information needs of breast cancer patients during the first 5 years after the diagnosis. PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:
A total of 105 follow-up consecutive patients presenting to a tertiary referral breast cancer center from August to October 2017 were recruited. The patients were divided into groups by the years after the diagnosis (1, 3, and 5 years). Each patient completed the Toronto Information Needs Questionnaire for Breast Cancer.RESULTS:
The number of patients in each group was as follows 23 at 1 year, 38 at 3 years, and 44 at 5 years after the initial diagnosis. The median Toronto Information Needs Questionnaire for Breast Cancer score was 4.15 on a 5-point Likert scale of breast cancer information needs (1, not important to 5, extremely important). No difference was found in the median scores at 1, 3, and 5 years. Information pertaining to the disease process was rated as most important (median, 4.50), and information regarding the psychosocial aspect of disease was ranked lowest (median, 3.75).CONCLUSION:
The information needs of patients with breast cancer remain high throughout the follow-up period after the diagnosis. In an era of prolonged survival, attention to the information needs of patients at follow-up examinations is as important as at the time of diagnosis and treatment.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Medical Informatics
/
Breast Neoplasms
/
Patient Education as Topic
/
Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast
/
Needs Assessment
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Clin Breast Cancer
Journal subject:
NEOPLASIAS
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ireland