Women with breast cancer decided whether to use complementary/alternative medicine through a process of discovery and investigation
QUESTION: What are the experiences of women with breast cancer as they decide whether to use complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) (use of natural healthcare products, such as herbs and nutritional supplements, and the process of seeking advice from non-conventional healthcare professionals, such as homeopaths and acupuncturists)?
Design
Focus groups.
Setting
London and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Participants
36 women (age range 41–73 y) diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives were recruited through notices to regional support groups, cancer centres, health food stores, and pharmacies. Most were white, and middle to upper middle class. They had been diagnosed an average of 5 years before the study (range 8 mo to 15 y). 11 women identified themselves as non-users of CAM and 25 as users.
Methods
3 focus groups were held in each site. During the 2 hour audiotaped discussions, women were asked about their perceptions and experiences regarding their use or non-use of CAM. Data collection continued until saturation. Verbatim transcripts were content analysed independently by 4 of the researchers, analyses were combined, and key emerging themes …
