Al-Aleem Institute of Nursing, GDEC, Lahore, Pakistan.
Institute of Nursing, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
J Pak Med Assoc. 2021 Oct;71(10):2429-2433. doi: 10.47391/JPMA.03-1199.
Breast Cancer (BC) is a major health issue in women all over the world. Delayed diagnosis of BC is preventable and has major effects on the patients' prognosis and survival. To explore the reasons of delayed diagnosis of BC in women in Punjab, Pakistan, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted at the Jinnah Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Females diagnosed more than four months after the appearance of symptoms of BC were recruited using purposive sampling until data saturation. Data collected through in-depth interviews of 15 participants using an interview guide was tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis framework method. Personal/psychological, Sociocultural, and Health care system related factors were the main themes that emerged from the data. Lack of knowledge, religious beliefs, use of Alternative medicine, socioeconomic status, cultural myths, and distant hospitals were the most influential determinants. Delay in diagnosis is a very significant problem in women with breast cancer and is linked with multiple determinants. However, educating women for recognition of symptoms and reinforcement to pursue earlier medical consultation will be helpful in reducing delay in breast cancer diagnosis.
乳腺癌（BC）是全世界女性面临的主要健康问题。BC 的延迟诊断是可以预防的，对患者的预后和生存有重大影响。为了探讨巴基斯坦旁遮普省女性乳腺癌延迟诊断的原因，在拉合尔的真纳医院、锡尔·加甘·拉姆医院和梅奥医院进行了一项定性现象学研究。采用目的抽样法招募了症状出现后 4 个月以上被诊断为 BC 的女性参与者，直到数据饱和。通过访谈指南对 15 名参与者进行深入访谈收集数据，使用录音、转录和归纳主题分析框架方法对数据进行分析。个人/心理、社会文化和医疗保健系统相关因素是数据中出现的主要主题。缺乏知识、宗教信仰、使用替代药物、社会经济地位、文化神话和医院距离较远是最具影响力的决定因素。诊断延迟是乳腺癌女性非常严重的问题，与多个决定因素有关。然而，对女性进行症状识别教育，并加强对早期医疗咨询的追求，将有助于减少乳腺癌诊断的延迟。
