Association between self-management efficacy and supportive care needs in breast cancer patients receiving...

To investigate the association between supportive care needs (SCNs) and self-management efficacy in patients with breast cancer (BC) receiving chemotherapy.

This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 160 BC chemotherapy patients in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were selected using convenience sampling. The general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the 34-item Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Survey, and Strategies Used by People to Promote Health were used for investigation. One-way ANOVA, t-test, and hierarchical regression analysis were used for data analysis. This study adheres to STROBE reporting guidelines.

The total score of SCNs of BC chemotherapy patients was 192.96 (54.95). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the score of self-management efficacy was negatively correlated with the score of SCNs (P < 0.01, r =  - 0.691). When the demographic variables were controlled, self-management efficacy, which was tested in model 2, explained an additional 28.4% of the variance in SCNs. BC chemotherapy patients, who received fewer number of chemotherapy cycles (β =  - 0.187, P < 0.01), were younger (β =  - 0.115, P < 0.05), had no family history of breast cancer (β =  - 0.109, P < 0.05), had lower levels self-management efficacy (β =  - 0.583, P < 0.001), and had higher SCNs.

BC chemotherapy patients have reported a high level of unmet SCNs. Medical staff should improve their self-management efficacy by assessing and taking targeted nursing measures, thereby reducing their SCNs and enhancing their quality of life.