Supportive care for women with breast cancer: Australian nurses' perspective

A research project was undertaken to describe how the support needs of women who have had treatment for breast cancer were being met in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected from both the women and the nurses who cared for them. The findings from the first part of the study examined the nurses' perceptions of the women's needs and how they as health professionals, fulfilled these needs. Analysis was both qualitative and quantitative. Seventy-eight nurses responded to a questionnaire and 15 were interviewed. The findings indicated that the nurses perceived information on disease process and physical aspects of the disease as essential to supporting the women with breast cancer. While they saw providing emotional support to the women as important the nurses themselves often lacked the time and skills to provide it.