Who provides support and how? Breast cancer patients and nurses evaluate patient support

Breast cancer patients' opinions of the support they receive have been studied from the viewpoint of both patients and nurses. However, few studies have compared the opinions of both patients and nurses. A project was designed to investigate the support provided for breast cancer patients in Finland and the evaluation of this support by patients and nurses. Two questionnaires were developed, and 109 patients and 125 nurses responded. Both patients and nurses reported that patient support was insufficient before and after hospitalization. Patients primarily expected informative support, whereas nurses underlined the role of psychological support. Furthermore, during hospitalization patients felt that they did not receive the support that they needed, whereas nurses felt that they provided a great deal of support. The theoretical assumption was that patients find it important that the health-care staff have a pleasant and friendly attitude toward their patients. This topic was one of the variables measured. The current study confirmed previous research that patients consider the attitude of the health-care staff important for their recovery. It was found in the statistical analysis that both groups of subjects usually stressed the importance of the same support-related issues. However, as patients and nurses seem to disagree on the most important forms of support, further studies are needed to explore the underscoring factors.