title: Life after breast cancer: Australian women's stories of support.
abstract: Quality support is crucial to the care of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Little qualitative research has been conducted in this area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six women in New South Wales, Australia, to explore their experiences of breast cancer. Specifically the study focused on the support the women felt they needed at different times during their illness experience, how this was given and by whom. The qualitative data from the interviews supported previous research in that the diagnosis of breast cancer was devastating. Their primary source of support was family and friends with their surgeon and general practitioner providing some support. Overall the women felt they received physical support. However, emotional support was lacking, especially from nurses.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nursing Research Unit, Wentworth Area Health Service/University of Western Sydney Nepean. l.wilkes@uws.edu.au
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wilkes
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beale
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D012944:Social Support