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Jun, Choi, and Kang: Experiences of the Use of External Breast Prosthesis among Breast Cancer Survivors in Korea
Original Article
Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2012; 18(1): 49-61.

Published online: 31 March 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2012.18.1.49

Experiences of the Use of External Breast Prosthesis among Breast Cancer Survivors in Korea

Eun-Young Jun1, Soon Ran Choi2, Hee Sun Kang3

1Full-time Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Korea Nazarene University, Cheonan, Korea.

2Breast Cancer Coordinator, Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center, Seoul, Korea.

2Associate Professor, Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Kang, Hee Sun. Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756, Korea. Tel: +82-16-569-4370, Fax: +82-2-824-7961, goodcare@cau.ac.kr

Received 28 February 2012       Revised 8 March 2012       Accepted 16 March 2012

© 2012 Korean Society of Women Health Nursing

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of the use of external breast prostheses among breast cancer survivors in Korea.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted, using focus groups. Data were collected from breast cancer survivors who were patients of C women's hospital in Seoul, Korea. Data were analyzed using content analysis in order to identify significant themes.

Results

Participants included forty breast cancer survivors who had mastectomy as a surgical treatment. Four themes emerged from the collected data were: 1) concern over the high price of external breast prosthesis, 2) irregular use of external breast prosthesis, 3) unsatisfied with mastectomy bra, and 4) wanting to hide or not to talk about using breast prosthesis openly.

Conclusion

Since most participants reported irregular use and negative experiences related to external breast prosthesis or mastectomy bra use, healthcare workers should allow more time for proper fitting and counseling and consulting with breast cancer survivors. In addition, health care providers as well as family and friends should keep in mind that cancer survivors need support that can help them cope by using positive reframing. Furthermore, improvements in the coverage of costs and services are needed for these women. This would be helpful for breast prosthesis users.

Keywords: Breast neoplasms, Breast prosthesis, Mastectomy

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