The perception of information among women with breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer diseases among women worldwide. Breast cancer brings fear into many womens’ life. It is a threat against life, but also to the psychological health, self-esteem and the female identity. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to describe newly breast cancer patient’s perception of information provided by healthcare personnel. Method: The material for the literature study was searched through databases and manually. The result is based on 12 scientific articles that were critically examined and analysed by qualitative contentanalysis. This resulted into three categories: womens’ information satisfaction, age related information and culture differences. Result: The women expressed dissatisfaction with information they were perceived. They wanted detailed information about the disease, prognos, treatment and side effects from the treatments. Discussion/conclusion: Nurses attention to womens’ needs, experiences and backgrounds could be of vital importance to improve the situation and the percieved information for the women