Experiences of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A study at Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana.
Senam Kudjawu, Joana Agyeman-Yeboah
PMID 34405582WHAT IT FOUND
Women treated with chemotherapy, plus surgery or radiotherapy, described weakness as the most worrying, stopping normal activities.
They were told side effects might happen but not how to manage them at home, and financial strain made treatment hard.
Key findings
01Weakness or fatigue was the most worrisome reported side effect and prevented normal activities and roles.
02Participants were told that chemotherapy side effects might happen, but they were not told how to manage some of these side effects when they arose.
03Financial constraint was reported as the biggest challenge, and chemotherapy costs were said to be not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only eight women at one hospital in the Volta Region of Ghana, so the themes cannot be generalised. Participants also had surgery or radiotherapy, so the contribution of any single treatment component cannot be separated. Two interviews were conducted by mobile phone because of COVID-19 restrictions, which may have affected responses. The authors state that the qualitative design and small sample limit generalisability.
Declared interests
No conflict of interest declared by the authors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that any chemotherapy support programme works. The study describes experiences from a small qualitative sample and cannot test outcomes.