Determining Barriers to Participating in the Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients in Iran

Patient participation in treatment decision-making has become a political necessity in many countries and health systems around the world. At the global level, how to deal with cancer patients has found a different approach. Considering that cancer affects a person's physical, mental and social health, patient-centered care can be one of the proper approaches for cancer patients. The purpose of the present study was to determine and investigate the barriers to participation in the treatment of breast cancer patients in Iran.

The present qualitative study was conducted in 2021.The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with the cooperation of 15 breast surgeons and 300 breast cancer patients who visited doctors' offices and clinics at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Gilan, and Kerman. Sampling of patients was done by cluster random method, 20 patients for each doctor. The validity and reliability of the questions were verified using the opinions of 15 experts. To end with, coding and classification of data was done using the paradigm model in the grand theory way. The data were analyzed using SPSS24 software and qualitative methods in Grand Theory.

The result of the present research indicated that the fear and anxiety of patients is the most important factor in non-cooperation and weak participation of patients during treatment. Patients’ lack of awareness and insufficient information was the second obstacle in poor participation in treatment decision making. Moreover, the findings indicated that the treatment costs had no effect on the continuation of the treatment process and the type of treatment chosen despite the occurrence of many problems for the patients.

The results of the present study indicated that fear and anxiety, not having enough information about the disease and financial problems are among the most important factors affecting patients' participation in treatment.