"They paid no mind to my state of mind": African American breast cancer patients' experiences of cancer care delivery.
This qualitative study describes experiences of cancer care delivery for nine African-American breast cancer patients. Three focus groups captured participants' experiences with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and parenting their children. Spontaneous accounts describing their interactions with oncology staff were reported by all breast cancer patients. Content analysis revealed five themes: interaction with physicians, power and authority of physicians, collaboration between physicians and mental health professionals, navigating the system, and involvement of the family in the treatment process. These themes may help in developing culturally sensitive training programs for oncology providers to improve the quality of cancer care.
Department of Couple and Family Therapy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA. mpd29@drexel.edu
Maureen P
MP
Davey
Karni
K
Kissil
Alba
A
Niño
Carolyn Y
CY
Tubbs
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010346:Patient Care Management; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011787:Quality of Health Care