INFORMATION NEEDS AMONG BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL

Abstract

Little is known about the information needs for women with breast cancer specifically in the information needs before and after surgery. The purpose of this study was to explore the information needs to breast cancer patients undergoing surgery.

In total 90 women with breast cancer were obtained which included 10 patients for pilot project study from Clinical Oncology Unit and Breast Clinic. The sample was the breast cancer patients who had undergone mastectomy with a time frame of one month and up to maximum of one year after surgery. A quantitative, descriptive and non experimental cross sectional design was used and a convenience sampling was chosen. The instrument in this study was a questionnaire which was adapted from Lithner & Zilling (1999) with their study on "Pre- and postoperative information needs". Women have great information needs for having mastectomy and is above 70% ranked important for all nine information subscales. There is difference in information needs of breast cancer patients in pre-operative and post-operative phases of surgery. There are significant associations between age, education level and household income group with information needs. The implifications for nurses is providing appropriate information needs for breast cancer patients accrodingly.