Patient Perspectives After Surgery-Related Complications Among Breast Cancer Patients from a LMIC

AbstractLong-term quality of life in breast cancer patients has been studied and published regularly. However, the lived experiences of patients who develop complications after surgery are not well understood. Determining this experience of patients is challenging in most low- and middle-income countries where the majority of patients belong to poor strata of society and are uneducated. We aimed to explore the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of patients with surgery-related complications after breast cancer surgery. Purposive sampling was used to identify patients who developed any postoperative complication, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Common patterns of patient experiences were identified and analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis. Twenty-eight patients out of 210 developing complications postoperatively were identified. The median age was 48  years (range 32–65 years). The majority (n = 26) were housewives, educated below the primary level (n = 11) and below the poverty line (n = 13). Complications included seroma (n = 17), flap necrosis and infection (n = 5), and hematoma (n = 1). Seven domains emerged from the interviews—knowledge of complications, psychological impact, burden, disruptiveness, social impact, relationship with the surgical team, and suggestions to improve the experience. The themes identified in the present study provide insights into the lived e xperiences and can inform the future developmen...
Source: Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research