The Supportive Care Needs of Breast Cancer Patients and Its Related Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Planning cancer supportive care programs require assessing patients’ supportive needs. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate breast cancer patients’ supportive care needs and their related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted this Zahedan, Iran, in 2020. Patients with breast cancer, who referred to the clinical oncology departments of Khatam-Al-Anbia hospital and Ali ibn Abi Talib hospital were selected by the census method. Standard questionnaires were distributed among the participants to obtain information and analyze data in SPSS software version 19.0. Results: This study examined 120 breast cancer patients with a mean age of 47.35 (SD 10.67) years. The patients’ highest and lowest need for help were related to health system/information (63.23 ± 20.80) and sexual needs (6.73 ± 19.66). Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis indicated that social support and illness adjustment negatively correlated with many supportive care domains. Conclusions: Supportive care services, especially in the information and psychology domain, are needed for breast cancer patients in Zahedan, Iran. Patients can benefit from social support and positive coping strategies to help them cope with their disease.