Anne Ryhänen
The University of Turku, Finland
Title: The effect of internet-based breast cancer patient’s pathway on breast cancer patients’ empowering process
Biography
Biography: Anne Ryhänen
Abstract
This study was conducted to examine the effect of the breast cancer patient’s pathway program (BCPP) on breast cancer patients’ empowering process. The ultimate goal of this study was to develop breast cancer patient education in a more empowering direction by using the patient pathway as a patient education tool. The BCPP is an internet-based patient education program. The structure of the BCPP is based on a flow chart diagram picture of the patient pathway during the breast cancer care and treatment process and used with oral and written patient education. Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients were randomized to an intervention group (n=50) and control group (n=48). The patients’ knowledge expectations, perceptions of received knowledge, knowledge level, quality of life, anxiety, and treatment-related side effects were measured during the breast cancer treatment process. Breast cancer patients’ perceptions of received knowledge were not fulfilled; their knowledge expectations exceed the perceived amount of received knowledge. Statistical differences were not found between the groups in terms of quality of life, anxiety and treatment-related side effects. However, anxiety decreased faster in the intervention group when looking at internal differences between the groups at different measurement times. In the intervention group the relationship between the difference between knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge correlated significantly with quality of life and anxiety. Their knowledge level was also significant higher than in the control group. These results support the theory that the empowering process requires patient’s awareness of knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge.