Korean J Rehabil Nurs.  2020 Jun;23(1):48-57. 10.7587/kjrehn.2020.48.

Analysis of Health management Awareness and Practice Experience of Breast Cancer Survivors using Focus Group Interviews

• Kim HW
• Han SJ
• Kim MR

• KMID: 2506049
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7587/kjrehn.2020.48

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of the present study was to understand and identify, in depth, the position and perspectives of breast cancer survivors by comprehensively investigating their health management awareness and practice experience.
Methods
This study is a qualitative research using focus group interviews. Six breast cancer survivors voluntarily agreed to participate in the study in cooperation with the patient group in D city. Data were collected from May to August, 2019, in six sessions and analyzed using the content analysis method.
Results
The results showed that the health management awareness and practice experience of breast cancer survivors were concentrated in five areas: “improvement in lifestyle habits to recover health”, “discovering how to deal with psychosocial difficulties”, “multilateral efforts on treatment process or disease”, “pursuing changes in family and social relationships” and “changes in the perspectives of religious beliefs and death” as well as 10 sub-topics.
Conclusion
Breast cancer survivors were managing the health to prevent relapse and metastasis through various efforts to systematically manage these patients health, healthcare models should be developed, and policy support should be made available.

Keyword

Breast neoplasms; Cancer survivors; Health behavior; Health promotion; Qualitative research