Health Information Seeking Among Woman with Breast Cancer

Abstract

World Health Organization (WHO) states that the incidence of cancer in the world increased to 18.1 million new cases with a mortality rate of 9.6 million in 2018. In Indonesia, the most common type of cancer is breast cancer with a percentage of 16.7 %. Diagnosis of breast cancer in general can cause stress and depression in women. Lack of information about cancer is an obstacle for cancer patients to take further steps about treating their disease. Though information search is the most important step in getting the best treatment to achieve healing. This study aims to find out how the process of finding health information carried out by women with breast cancer to get a cure. Through a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews are used as a data collection technique involving four women with breast cancer selected through purposive sampling. The validity of this study uses trustworthiness with data analysis in the form of data reduction, data presentation and drawing conclusions. The results of this study indicate that the search for health information about breast cancer will only occur if there is a physical stimulus felt by cancer sufferers, which has several goals in the form of getting the best solution. The desire to recover requires them to be active in communicating with doctors and community friends who are supported by information seeking in other media such as the internet, books, seminars and workshops. However, every information they get is always accompanied by a subjective evaluation of themselves, by confirming information both to the doctor and fellow cancer sufferers in the community. Cancer sufferers in this study have greater control in determining the best choice as a solution to get a cure.