Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar;55(1):55-67.
doi: 10.1177/08445621221097520. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

The Impact of Canadian Medical Delays and Preventive Measures on Breast Cancer Experience: A Silent Battle Masked by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Justine Fortin  1   2 , Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard  3 , Clarisse Defer  4 , Mélissandre Leblanc  5 , Lunie Anne Thamar Louis  5 , Carol-Anne Roy  6 , Isabelle Lapierre  7 , Alain Brunet  3 , Marjorie Montreuil  2   8 , Marie-France Marin  1   2
Affiliations

The Impact of Canadian Medical Delays and Preventive Measures on Breast Cancer Experience: A Silent Battle Masked by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Justine Fortin et al. Can J Nurs Res. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the prioritization of breast cancer services towards patients who are currently in treatment or diagnosed with advanced stages of breast cancer, and the self-assessment of both tumor growth and treatment side effects. Alongside the stress associated with cancer itself, delays and complications due to COVID-19 may impact patients' mental health.

Purpose: To describe the experiences of Canadians living with breast cancer who received a diagnosis and/or treatment during the pandemic, and to identify their recommendations for improving patients well-being during future pandemics.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen women living with breast cancer who also completed the Distress Thermometer questionnaire. The transcripts were analyzed using a descriptive thematic content methodology.

Results: Women who started their breast cancer screening or treatment before the pandemic reported fewer delays and less psychological distress than those who started during the pandemic. Participants reported feeling dehumanized while receiving their medical care, being unable to be accompanied during medical visits, and fearing treatment interruption during the pandemic. Patient recommendations for improving care and psychological support included the presence of family caregivers at consultations to receive the diagnosis and for the first treatment session.

Conclusion: Study findings provide new insights on how healthcare restrictions during the pandemic impacted on patient experiences and their well-being during screening and treatment for breast cancer. The need for cancer nursing practices and care delivery strategies that promote the delivery of compassionate, patient-centred care and the provision of psychological support during future pandemics are identified.

Keywords: Psychological distress; mental health; oncology; pandemic; qualitative research; recommendations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Archibald M. M., Ambagtsheer R. C., Casey M. G., Lawless M. (2019). Using Zoom videoconferencing for qualitative data collection: Perceptions and experiences of researchers and participants. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1–8. 10.1177/1609406919874596 - DOI
    1. Baumann M. R., Sniezek J. A., Buerkle C. A. (2001). Self-evaluation, stress, and performance: A model of decision making under acute stress. In Salas E. & Klein G. (Eds.), Naturalistic decision making, 4th, may, 1998, Airlie Center (pp. 139–158). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
    1. Bradley E. H., Curry L. A., Devers K. J. (2007). Qualitative data analysis for health services research: Developing taxonomy, themes, and theory. Health Services Research, 42(4), 1758–1772. 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00684.x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Burki T. K. (2020). Cancer guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Oncology, 21(5), 629–630. 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30217-5 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen G., Wu Q., Jiang H., Zhang H., Peng J., Hu J., Chen M., Zhong Y., Xie C. (2020). Fear of disease progression and psychological stress in cancer patients under the outbreak of COVID-19. Psycho-Oncology, 29(9), 1395–1398. 10.1002/pon.5451 - DOI - PMC - PubMed