A qualitative study on nurses' experiences of mammography

Past experiences, emotions, health behaviors, knowledge levels, and health beliefs about mammography can influence participation in future screening. Although nurses possess the necessary knowledge, their compliance with mammography screening schedules is lacking. This qualitative study explored the experiences of nurses who had undergone mammography screening. This study adopted a qualitative phenomenological research design. The study sample comprised 20 nurses who had undergone mammography in the last year, who were identified through purposive sampling, and who agreed to participate in the study. The study data were collected during in-depth interviews using information garnered from data on the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and a semi-structured interview form comprising 8 questions. The nurses included in the study had a mean age of 51.05 ± 3.51 years, and 10 had postgraduate degrees. Descriptive and interpretive analyses of the gathered data revealed 4 main themes: deciding to have a mammogram, experiences before the mammography procedure, experiences during the mammography procedure, and experiences after the mammography procedure. Nurses experienced feelings of anxiety, fear, and doubt related to a possible cancer diagnosis before, during, and after their mammography procedures, suggesting the need to plan interventions to eliminate fears associated with mammography procedures among nurses. Targeted interventions such as educational workshops and emotional support programs can help nurses overcome their apprehensions and build confidence in the procedure.