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The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study

Background: The survival outcomes for women presenting with early breast cancer are influenced by treatment decisions. In Malaysia, survival outcome is generally poor due to late presentation. Of those who present early, many refuse treatment for complementary therapy. Objective: This study aimed to...

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Main Authors: Abdullah, A., Abdullah, K.L., Yip, C.H., Teo, S.H., Taib, N.A., Ng, C.J.
Format: Article
Published: 2013
Subjects:
R Medicine
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/10667/
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spelling my.um.eprints.106672014-06-25T06:09:27Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/10667/ The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study Abdullah, A. Abdullah, K.L. Yip, C.H. Teo, S.H. Taib, N.A. Ng, C.J. R Medicine Background: The survival outcomes for women presenting with early breast cancer are influenced by treatment decisions. In Malaysia, survival outcome is generally poor due to late presentation. Of those who present early, many refuse treatment for complementary therapy. Objective: This study aimed to explore the decision making experiences of women with early breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews was conducted to capture the decision making process of women with early breast cancer in Malaysia. We used purposive sampling to recruit women yet to undergo surgical treatment. A total of eight participants consented and were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. These women were recruited from a period of one week after they were informed of their diagnoses. A topic guide, based on the Ottawa decision support framework (ODSF), was used to facilitate the interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. Results: We identified four phases in the decision-making process of women with early breast cancer: discovery (pre-diagnosis); confirmatory ('receiving bad news'); deliberation; and decision (making a decision). These phases ranged from when women first discovered abnormalities in their breasts to them making final surgical treatment decisions. Information was vital in guiding these women. Support from family members, friends, healthcare professionals as well as survivors also has an influencing role. However, the final say on treatment decision was from themselves. Conclusions: The treatment decision for women with early breast cancer in Malaysia is a result of information they gather on their decision making journey. This journey starts with diagnosis. The women's spouses, friends, family members and healthcare professionals play different roles as information providers and supporters at different stages of treatment decisions. However, the final treatment decision is influenced mainly by women's own experiences, knowledge and understanding. 2013 Article PeerReviewed Abdullah, A. and Abdullah, K.L. and Yip, C.H. and Teo, S.H. and Taib, N.A. and Ng, C.J. (2013) The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 14 (12). pp. 7143-7147. ISSN 1513-7368
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic R Medicine
spellingShingle R Medicine
Abdullah, A.
Abdullah, K.L.
Yip, C.H.
Teo, S.H.
Taib, N.A.
Ng, C.J.
The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
description Background: The survival outcomes for women presenting with early breast cancer are influenced by treatment decisions. In Malaysia, survival outcome is generally poor due to late presentation. Of those who present early, many refuse treatment for complementary therapy. Objective: This study aimed to explore the decision making experiences of women with early breast cancer. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews was conducted to capture the decision making process of women with early breast cancer in Malaysia. We used purposive sampling to recruit women yet to undergo surgical treatment. A total of eight participants consented and were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. These women were recruited from a period of one week after they were informed of their diagnoses. A topic guide, based on the Ottawa decision support framework (ODSF), was used to facilitate the interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. Results: We identified four phases in the decision-making process of women with early breast cancer: discovery (pre-diagnosis); confirmatory ('receiving bad news'); deliberation; and decision (making a decision). These phases ranged from when women first discovered abnormalities in their breasts to them making final surgical treatment decisions. Information was vital in guiding these women. Support from family members, friends, healthcare professionals as well as survivors also has an influencing role. However, the final say on treatment decision was from themselves. Conclusions: The treatment decision for women with early breast cancer in Malaysia is a result of information they gather on their decision making journey. This journey starts with diagnosis. The women's spouses, friends, family members and healthcare professionals play different roles as information providers and supporters at different stages of treatment decisions. However, the final treatment decision is influenced mainly by women's own experiences, knowledge and understanding.
format Article
author Abdullah, A.
Abdullah, K.L.
Yip, C.H.
Teo, S.H.
Taib, N.A.
Ng, C.J.
author_facet Abdullah, A.
Abdullah, K.L.
Yip, C.H.
Teo, S.H.
Taib, N.A.
Ng, C.J.
author_sort Abdullah, A.
title The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
title_short The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
title_full The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
title_fullStr The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed The decision-making journey of Malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
title_sort decision-making journey of malaysian women with early breast cancer: a qualitative study
publishDate 2013
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/10667/
_version_ 1643688860308209664
score 13.211869

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