Study on Nursing Cares to Assist the Decision-Making Processes in Breast Cancer Patients

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The purpose of this study was 1) to clarify the way of thinking and behavioral patterns of breast cancer patients until their decision-making about the preferred treatments ; 2) to grasp the contents and sources of the information available to the patients upon their relevant derision-makings ; 3) to reveal the correlation between the influential factors to their decision-makings and their satisfaction levels. The subjects were women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently decided the treatments by themselves. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. As the result, it was revealed that the patients making active access to information conducted their decision-makings aggressively whereas the patients devoid of adequate information tended to "rely on" the attending physician's decision. And the breast cancer patients obtained the information including specialty and equipments of the hospital, superiority of nursing cares, effectiveness of treatments, advers … More e reactions and interventions, from the information sources such as their family members, medical staffs, colleague patients and pamphlets.On the basis of these findings, we performed surveys with use of questionnaires containing query items such as the decision-making role, diagnosis and treatment, the available information, social supports, anxiety and the satisfaction levels toward their decision-making. As the result, it was evidenced that the factors providing influences on the satisfaction levels of the patients comprised the decision-making role, surgical procedures, supports by family members except for their husbands, and the amounts of available information. The useful information included alternative choices of treatments, advantages and shortcomings, advance and metastasis of breast cancer and specialty of the medical institution and physicians. In conclusion, it is important for nurses to give the useful information to the breast cancer patients to help their own decision-makings, besides advocating the family members except for patients' husbands to support the patients. Less