Breast Cancer Screening Program: Experiences of Canadian Women and Their Unmet Needs

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of women waiting for results from the Québec Breast Cancer Screening Program and their need for support. A qualitative analysis of the interviews generated a description of (a) the experiences and emotions of women waiting for mammogram results and (b) the need for services and psychosocial support that were and were not met. The results revealed a “timeline” of the waiting process experienced by the women, and their unmet informational and psychosocial needs (such as a lack of information about the prediagnosis steps, lack of a resource person, and others).

Acknowledgments

We thank the women who so generously agreed to share their experiences with us, as well as the many partners such as the Programme Québécois de Dépistage du Cancer du Sein, the Centre de Santé des Femmes de l’Estrie, and the directors of the CDDs. This project was made possible by a joint grant from the Québec Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux and the Estrie Health and Social Services Agency under the Public Health Grants Program. The authors thank the Research and Graduate Studies Committee of the School of Nursing Science, Sherbrooke University, for its suggestions regarding a previous version of this article.