Self management pilot study on women with breast cancer: Lessons learnt in Malaysia

S. Y. Loh, C. H. Yip, T. Packer, K. F. Quek

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11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: With increasing survival rates, breast cancer is now considered a chronic condition necessitating innovative care to meet the long-term needs of survivors. This paper presents the findings of a pilot study on self-management for women diagnosed with breast cancer and their implications for Asian health care providers. Methods: A pre-test/post-test pilot study was conducted to gain preliminary insights into program feasibility and barriers to participation, and to provide justification for a larger trial. Results: The study found the 4 week self management program feasible and acceptable, with a favourable trend in quality of life. The recruitment barriers ranged from competing medical appointments, uncollaborative health providers, linguistic barriers and social-household concerns. Supporting facilitators identified were family, health professionals and fellow participants ("buddies"). Lessons from the study are discussed with regard to Asian health providers. Conclusion: There is preliminary evidence that self management is a workable and potentially useful model even in an Asians entrenched-hierarchical medical model of care. The initial challenge was breaking down barriers in acceptancee of a collaborative stance. A clinical trial is now warranted to gather more evidence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1293-1299
Number of pages7
JournalAsian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
Volume11
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Asian health providers
  • Breast cancer
  • Pilot study
  • Self-management

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