Qualitative research on impact of COVID-19 epidemic on diagnosis and treatment experience of breast cancer patients

Abstract:

Objective：To comprehend the diagnosis and treatment experience of breast cancer patients during the coronavirus disease 2019（COVID-19） epidemic through qualitative interviews，so as to explore how to implement better diagnosis and treatment services. Methods：Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 12 patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 epidemic and Co－laizzi phenomenology was used to analyze the data. Results：The experience of breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 epidemic were classified into six themes：worrying about timely treatment；negative emotions of cancer；the demand for professional knowledge；worrying about hospital infection of COVID-19；recognition of medical treatment process；confirmation of contribution from medical staff during the COVID-19 epidemic. Conclusion：Medical staff should carry out health knowledge popularization for a long time，provide on-line answering questions，relieve patients’ anxiety，keep in prevention and control during the epidemic，orderly carry out routine diagnosis and treatment activities when epidemic screening，and ensure patients get treatment. Both doctors and patients have a positive attitude to overcome difficulties when confronting the COVID-19，providing an opportunity to alleviate the relationship be－tween doctors and patients.