Budden, Lea M., Hayes, Barbara A., and Buttner, Petra (2009) Australian women’s distress level and decision satisfaction, following the selection of treatment for early breast cancer. In: Proceedings of the 10th National Rural Health Conference Proceedings. From: 10th National Rural Health Conference Proceedings, 17-20 May 2009, Cairns, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

Women diagnosed with early breast cancer are often distressed and confused about how to choose between surgical and medical treatments and frequently turn to health professionals for decision support and information. Unfortunately, there are few Australian studies currently published, which measure women’s distress level and decision satisfaction after choosing treatment for early breast cancer. This presentation will discuss the findings of a descriptive study investigating women’s (n= 104) distress level and decision satisfaction, three months following their initial surgery for early breast cancer. Data were collected using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18, Derogatis 2000) and the Treatment Decision Satisfaction Questionnaire (TDSQ), Budden & Pierce 2002). The BSI-18 questionnaire contains 18 items designed to serve as a screen for psychological distress in medical and community populations. The TDSQ contains 16 items (α= 0.95) divided into two dimensions namely: 7 items measuring patients satisfaction with their decision process (α= 0.91) and 9 items measuring their satisfaction with their decision outcome (α= 0.95). Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Analyses indicated that 63.5% of women were identified as positive cases of experiencing somatization symptoms, 76.9% with depression, and 50% with anxiety. For decision satisfaction, 71.8% of women agreed they were very satisfied with their decision-making experience and 83.5% agreed they were very satisfied with the treatment choice they made. This study provides information which can be used as a baseline to design assessment tools and evaluate future decision support aids given by health professionals. The ultimate goal of decision support interventions is to improve the psychological outcomes of women, by customising and bolstering their decision- making process, attempting to minimise their distress levels and post-decision regret, and increase their decision satisfaction when selecting treatment for early breast cancer.

Item ID:	8390
Item Type:	Conference Item (Poster)
ISBN:	978-1-921219-15-3
ISSN:	1445 3363
Related URLs:	http://10thnrhc.ruralhealth.org.au/gener...
Date Deposited:	19 Feb 2010 04:08
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1110 Nursing > 111003 Clinical Nursing: Secondary (Acute Care) @ 100%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920210 Nursing @ 100%
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