The Needs of Medical Care and Social Supports in the Views of Patients With Breast Cancer and Their Caregivers: An Exploratory Study

• Main Authors: Hsin-Pei Feng, 馮欣蓓
• Other Authors: 蕭妃秀
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/75021046378011512716

碩士 === 臺北醫學大學 === 護理學研究所 === 96 === The aim of this study is to explore the needs of breast cancer patients and their caregivers in the conditions with different cancer stages, from different living areas of the nation and during the different treatment stages. The study adopts cross-section design using semi-structured individual interviews to collect data. The purposive sampling method was used to recruited inpatients of the medical centre from north, middle, south and east areas of the nation. The data based on 13 patients and 11 their caregivers were analyzed by using content analysis. During different treatment stages, with regard to physical domain, they commonly need information about dieting, physical exercises, medical treatments, and integrated traditional Chinese medicine treatment. With psycho-spiritual domain, they need counseling and religious supports to cope with fear of death. With regard to social supports, they need supports from families, friends and other peers, and couple counseling to deal with life difficulty. With economic domain, they hope they could pay less for medical expense. For patients with cancer stage 0-stage II, they need sharing and supports from peers as they were anxious and uncertain at the time of just being diagnosed. For stage III-stage IV, patients need mental supports as the changes of body images caused by surgery. About the different perspectives from different living areas, for those who live in south area and leave home to seek treatment in north area, there is a lack of help in sharing family care from other family members. Most patients from middle area experience emotional supports and advice from peers. In south, they want to learn more medical information. In east, the sexual counseling is needed to manage the myth of the death of husband for their sexual relationship with sick wife. The results conclude that patients and caregivers have the difficulty in applying the information learnt from health professionals in their daily lives. The consulting-oriented caring model emphasizing interaction learning needs to be developed to meet their needs of each domain.