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Experiences of breast cancer in Arab countries. A thematic synthesis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally. Its negative effects on a woman's quality of life are related to the individual and socio-cultural factors. This review aimed to identify and synthesise the reported experiences and quality of life of women with breast cancer in Arab countries. METHODS:PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, SCOPUS, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region were searched for articles published from start to March 2019 using PRISMA guidelines. These searches were complimented by citation tracking and hand searching of relevant journals. A thematic synthesis was carried out on the 'findings/results' sections from the identified papers. RESULTS:Of 5228 records identified, 19 were included in the review which represented 401 women from 11 Arab countries. All used qualitative methods of data collection to produce rich descriptions of experiences. Thematic synthesis of the extracted data identified three major themes, Perceptions and reactions, Coping or enduring and Changing roles. CONCLUSIONS:This review provides a rich description of the reported quality of life and experiences of women with breast cancer in Arab countries. These are influenced by the women's and society's views of cancer, the women's role in society and family, religious faith and the healthcare context and access to treatment choices and information.

SUBMITTER: Fearon D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6994422 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Experiences of breast cancer in Arab countries. A thematic synthesis.

Fearon D D Hughes S S Brearley S G SG

Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation 20191023 2

<h4>Background</h4>Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally. Its negative effects on a woman's quality of life are related to the individual and socio-cultural factors. This review aimed to identify and synthesise the reported experiences and quality of life of women with breast cancer in Arab countries.<h4>Methods</h4>PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, SCOPUS, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region were ...[more]

PMID: 31646417

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Project description:ObjectivesPulmonary hypertension is a life-shortening disease that has a considerable impact on quality of life. Improving our understanding of how individuals are affected and cope with the disease will help to improve services and outcomes. This review synthesises the published qualitative research that has listened to adults discuss their experiences of living with the disease.DesignA comprehensive systematic search of four databases was conducted in May 2020: Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library. Suitable studies were evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills programme. Findings from the studies were extracted and subjected to a thematic synthesis.ResultsNineteen articles were identified reflecting the experiences of over 1900 individuals impacted by pulmonary hypertension from Europe, North and South America and Asia. Ten studies did not report participant's WHO functional class of pulmonary hypertension, which resulted in comparing experiences between different severity difficult. All studies met the majority of the quality assessment items. Six descriptive themes emerged discussing participant's experiences of diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, healthcare professionals, impact and coping with pulmonary hypertension. Four higher order analytical themes were developed from the descriptive themes, reflecting: (i) uncertainties and anxiety that participants encountered related to pulmonary hypertension; (ii) lack of recognition of the impact of the condition; (iii) frustration at the paucity of awareness of pulmonary hypertension in society and healthcare settings and (iv) participant's accounts of transitioning through different stages of living with the disease.ConclusionsThese findings form the first synthesis of experiences of life in individuals impacted by pulmonary hypertension and illustrate the multifaceted impact of the condition. The voices of numerous groups are missing from the literature highlighting the need for additional research. The results have implications for clinical practice emphasising the role of educational and psychological therapies to support those with the disease.

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Dataset Information

Experiences of breast cancer in Arab countries. A thematic synthesis.

Publications

Experiences of breast cancer in Arab countries. A thematic synthesis.

Similar Datasets

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