TITLE:
Information Needs of Breast Cancer Patients at Cancer Diseases Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
AUTHORS:
Beauty Lilala Namushi, Marjorie Kabinga Makukula, Patricia Katowa Mukwato
KEYWORDS:
Information Needs, Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Patients
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Breast Cancer Research,
Vol.9 No.2,
April
26,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer
worldwide and the second most common among Zambian women.
Breast cancer diagnosis being a stressful experience, causes psychological and
emotional disruption that can be abated by meeting information needs of the
affected patients. In light of the escalating cases of Breast cancer among the
Zambian women, the study examined a special aspect of cancer management which
is usually neglected in most cases. Aim: The main objective of the study
was to assess information needs of breast
cancer patients at the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia using
a modified structured interview schedule adopted from the Toronto Information Needs Questionnaire-Breast Cancer
(TINQ-BC). Methods: A descriptive
cross-sectional design was used to elicit the information needs of breast cancer patients. One hundred and ten (97% response rate) participants were selected using simple random sampling method and data was collected using a modified structured
interview schedule adopted from the Toronto Information Needs
Questionnaire-Breast Cancer (TINQ-BC). Stata 10.0
(StataCorp, 2008) was employed for all quantitative data analysis and graphical
presentation of data. Results: The overall score for information needs was obtained by adding the
scores across all the five information needs categories which were further divided into three categories namely: low important
scores, of less than 50%, moderately important scores of 50% - 70% and
highly important scores ranged above 70% of the 200 total scores. Out of the
110 participants recruited, 88 (80%)
indicated that the information across the five categories was moderately
important. Logistic regression of information needs and posited determinants
revealed that anxiety levels; education level; presence of co-morbidity; and
being on treatment were significant determinants of patients’ informational
needs (Effect’s p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study
support the idea that breast cancer patients are seeking more information on
their illness, hence information provision is one of the most important factors for providing high quality
cancer care across the whole cancer continuum. Therefore, appreciating
the information needs of breast cancer patients is substantial in improving
care.