Studying Delays in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Critical Realism as a New Foundation for Inquiry
Oncology nursing forumPublished 1 January 2006
Jan Angus, Karen‐Lee Miller, Tammy Pulfer, Patricia McKeever
Citations48
SJR quartileQ3
SJR score0.48
SNIP0.50
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
Critical realism provides a useful framework for analysis of links between social inequalities and delays in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and is basing future research and theoretical endeavors on a critical realist perspective.
Abstract
Access to breast cancer care could be better understood and conceptualized by basing future research and theoretical endeavors on a critical realist perspective.
Keywords
MedicineHealth Professions
Health Promotion InternationalHealth literacy as a public health goal: a challenge for contemporary health education and communication strategies into the 21st century
5,102 Citations2000Don Nutbeam
This paper identifies the failings of past educational programs to address social and economic determinants of health, and traces the subsequent reduction in the role of health education in contemporary health promotion.
A Realist Theory of Science
4,008 Citations2013Roy Bhaskar
Cambridge University Press eBooksStructure, Agency and the Internal Conversation
2,386 Citations2003Margaret S. Archer
Contemporary Sociology A Journal of ReviewsApproaches to Social Enquiry.
996 Citations1995Anthony C. Masi, Norman Blaikie
Health Promotion InternationalHealth literacy: addressing the health and education divide
756 Citations2001Ilona Kickbusch
A health literacy index could become an important composite measure of the outcome of health promotion and prevention activities, could document the health competence and capabilities of the population of a given country, community or group and relate it to a set of health, social and economic outcomes.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteRace, Socioeconomic Status, and Breast Cancer Treatment and Survival
666 Citations2002Cathy J. Bradley
In the Metropolitan Detroit study population, race was not statistically significantly associated with unfavorable breast cancer outcomes, however, low socioeconomic status was associated with late-stage breast cancer at diagnosis, type of treatment received, and death.
Archives of Internal MedicineDifferences in Breast Cancer Stage, Treatment, and Survival by Race and Ethnicity
659 Citations2003Christopher I. Li, Kathleen E. Malone +1 more
Differences in breast cancer stage, treatments, and mortality rates are present by race and ethnicity and breast cancer survival may be improved by targeting factors, particularly socioeconomic factors, that underlie these differences.
Social Science & MedicineBeyond the income inequality hypothesis: class, neo-liberalism, and health inequalities
519 Citations2003David Coburn
It is argued that global and national socio-political-economic trends have increased the power of business classes and lowered that of working classes, and neo-liberal policies accompanying these trends led to increased income inequality but also poverty and unequal access to many other health-relevant resources.
The LancetFactors predicting delayed presentation of symptomatic breast cancer: a systematic review
486 Citations1999AJ Ramirez, AM Westcombe +4 more
There was strong evidence for an association between older age and delay by patients, and strong evidence that marital status was unrelated to delays by Patients, and younger age and presentation with a breast symptom other than a lump were strong risk factors for delays by providers.
Annals of Internal MedicinePsychological and Behavioral Implications of Abnormal Mammograms
469 Citations1991Caryn Lerman, Bruce Track +4 more
A substantial proportion of women with suspicious mammograms have psychological difficulties, even after learning that they do not have cancer, and sequelae do not appear to interfere with subsequent adherence.
British Journal of Social PsychologyDelay in seeking a cancer diagnosis: Delay stages and psychophysiological comparison processes
425 Citations1995Barbara L. Andersen, John T. Cacioppo +1 more
In the test of PCT, support was found across measures of symptoms, the context in which the symptoms arose, and the inferences people made about the symptoms.
American Journal of Public HealthMobility impairments and use of screening and preventive services
382 Citations2000Lisa I. Iezzoni, Ellen P. McCarthy +2 more
People with mobility problems were as likely as others to receive pneumonia and influenza immunizations but were less likely to receive other services, and more attention should be paid to screening and preventive services for people with mobility difficulties.
Sociology of Health & IllnessTheorising Inequalities in Health: The Place of Lay Knowledge
322 Citations1998Jennie Popay, Gareth Williams +2 more
Medical CareDeterminants of Three Stages of Delay in Seeking Care at a Medical Clinic
318 Citations1979Martin A. Safer, QUINCY J. THARPS +2 more
American Journal of Public HealthBreast and Cervical Cancer Screening: Sociodemographic Predictors Among White, Black, and Hispanic Women
308 Citations2003Elizabeth Selvin, Kate M. Brett
Regardless of race/ethnicity, most women follow mammography and cervical cancer screening guidelines, and the identification of specific factors associated with adherence to cancer screenings guidelines may help inform screening campaigns.
British Journal of CancerThe influence on survival of delay in the presentation and treatment of symptomatic breast cancer
280 Citations1999M A Richards, Peter Smith +3 more
Multivariate analyses indicated that the adverse impact of delay in presentation on survival was attributable to an association between longer delays and more advanced stage, however, within individual stages, longer delay had no adverse impact on survival.
Journal of Health and Social BehaviorA Critical Theory of Medical Discourse: Ideology, Social Control, and the Processing of Social Context in Medical Encounters
263 Citations1989Howard Waitzkin
Examining prior theories pertinent to medical discourse leads to the propositions that medical encounters tend to convey ideologic messages supportive of the current social order; that these encounters have repercussions for social control; and that medical language generally excludes a critical appraisal of the social context.
Social Science & MedicineWhose fault is it? People's own conceptions of the reasons for health inequalities
261 Citations1997Mildred Blaxter
Data from a large British survey are combined with a review of the extensive body of qualitative research on attitudes to health in Western industrialised societies to reach a tentative conclusion that social inequality in health is not a topic which is very prominent in lay presentations.
Sociology of Health & IllnessIs anybody there? Critical realism, chronic illness and the disability debate
250 Citations1999Simon J. Williams
British Journal of CancerWho and what influences delayed presentation in breast cancer?
240 Citations1998Caroline Burgess, A J Ramirez +2 more
A large multicentre study is now warranted to confirm the extent and determinants of patient and general practitioner delay in the presentation of breast cancer and the increasing evidence that delay adversely affects survival.
Social Science & MedicineDelay versus help seeking for breast cancer symptoms: A critical review of the literature on patient and provider delay
234 Citations1993Noreen C. Facione
A review of the literature on patient and provider delay published since 1975 identifies the factors that have been advanced as contributing to patient and providers delay, evaluating the support for each of these reported findings.
Sociology of Health & IllnessBeyond ‘beer, fags, egg and chips’? Exploring lay understandings of social inequalities in health
226 Citations2003Jennie Popay, Sharon Bennett +4 more
The findings support previous research in suggesting that lay theories about causality in relation to health inequalities, like lay concepts of health and illness in general, are multi-factorial.
International Journal of Health ServicesIncome Inequality, Social Cohesion, and Health: Clarifying the Theory—A Reply to Muntaner and Lynch
205 Citations1999Richard G. Wilkinson
The author suggests that social cohesion is indicative of underlying psychosocial risk factors that are known to be closely associated with health, and an antipathy between hierarchical relations across inequalities of power, income, and status on the one hand, and supportive social relations between equals on the other, is likely to exert a powerful influence on health.
The LancetEffect on survival of delays in referral of patients with breast-cancer symptoms: a retrospective analysis
202 Citations1999J R C Sainsbury, C. Johnston +1 more
Delays by providers in diagnosis of 3 months or more do not seem to be associated with decreased survival in patients presenting with breast cancer and the drive for all women with possible breast cancer to be seen within 14 days is not supported.
Journal of Advanced NursingCritical realism: a way forward for evaluation research in nursing?
200 Citations2003Phil McEvoy, David Richards
It is argued that critical realism provides a coherent framework for evaluation research that is based on the understanding of causal mechanisms, and is particularly important for frontline services seeking to use evidence-based interventions.
Scientific AmericanThe Economics of Life and Death
193 Citations1993Amartya Sen
Mortality data can be used to analyze economic performance and can illuminate critical aspects of the economic organization of society.
British Journal of CancerStage and delay in breast cancer diagnosis by race, socioeconomic status, age and year
190 Citations1992JL Richardson, Bryan Langholz +4 more
Investigation of breast cancer cases diagnosed between 1977 and 1985 suggests that lower socioeconomic status, Black or Hispanic ethnicity, younger age, and earlier year of diagnosis are risk factors for late stage diagnosis and long duration of symptoms.
Preventive MedicineThe Self-Reported Likelihood of Patient Delay in Breast Cancer: New Thoughts for Early Detection
188 Citations2002Noreen C. Facione, Christine Miaskowski +2 more
Self-reported likelihood of patient delay is measurable in advance of symptom occurrence, and this measure is consistent with behavioral and knowledge variables previously linked with advanced breast cancer at diagnosis.
The Conceptual Practices of Power
182 Citations2023Dorothy E. Smith
PubMedA qualitative study of delay among women reporting symptoms of breast cancer.
181 Citations2001Caroline Burgess, Myra S. Hunter +1 more
It is suggested that women need further information about the different types of breast cancer symptoms to assist symptom recognition, as well as encouragement to seek medical advice if a symptom is ambiguous, and may benefit from greater awareness of the benefits of early detection and reassurance about the improvements in quality of Breast cancer care.
PubMedBreast cancer screening and African American women: fear, fatalism, and silence.
181 Citations1999Janice M. Phillips, Monique Cohen +1 more
Because unemployed women, service workers, and teachers differed in their beliefs about breast cancer and breast cancer screening, nurses must be mindful of the need to tailor Interventions to address the needs of both low- and middle-income African American women.
Sociology of Health & IllnessDoing Nothing is No Choice: Lay Constructions of Treatment Decision‐making Among Women with Early‐stage Breast Cancer
177 Citations1998Cathy Charles, Timothy J. Whelan +3 more
It was found that many women who were presented with the choice to undergo some form of adjuvant treatment versus no treatment felt that ‘doing nothing was no choice’ and retained the idea of probability but thought that they personally would beat the odds.
Journal of Advanced NursingJourneying from the philosophical contemplation of constructivism to the methodological pragmatics of health services research
163 Citations2002Jane V. Appleton, Lindy King
If researchers gain an understanding of both philosophy and methodology a richer and more robust study is likely to result, it is believed.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*PhysicsWaiting for radiotherapy in Ontario
153 Citations1994William J. Mackillop, Henry L. Fu +4 more
The majority of patients treated in Ontario met both standards in 1982, but by 1991 few patients received care within the prescribed intervals, and the median waiting time in Ontario as a whole increased steadily between 1982 and 1991.
Social Science & MedicineBeliefs related to breast health practices: the perceptions of South Asian women living in Canada
140 Citations1998Joan L. Bottorff, Joy L. Johnson +5 more
Examining breast health practices from the perspective of South Asian women to provide a foundation for the development of culturally suitable breast health services for this group of women revealed an under use of early detection strategies.
British Journal of CancerDelay in presentation of symptomatic referrals to a breast clinic: patient and system factors
136 Citations2000Chiara Nosarti, Tim Crayford +4 more
Beliefs about breast symptoms and their attribution are the most important factors determining when women present and health education messages should aim to convince symptomatic women that their condition requires urgent evaluation, without engendering fear in them.
Qualitative Health ResearchBreast Talk in Breast Cancer Narratives
134 Citations1998Kristin M. Langellier, Claire Sullivan
This study examines breast talk—specific references to breasts and breast cancer in women's illness narratives—collected in 20 open-ended, in-depth interviews with 17 White, middle-class survivors in Maine, and suggests both greater and fewer problems with femininity, sexuality, and body image than presumed.
PubMedIntercultural consultations: investigation of factors that deter non-English speaking women from attending their general practitioners for cervical screening.
130 Citations1994John Naish, Janie Brown +1 more
Contrary to popular belief among general practitioners in east London, women from ethnic minorities are enthusiastic about cervical cytology screening once they understand the purpose of the test and the call and recall procedures.
Women & HealthAsian-Islamic Women and Breast Cancer Screening: A Socio-Cultural Analysis
129 Citations1999Shireen S. Rajaram, Anahita Rashidi
Religious and socio-cultural issues relevant to breast cancer screening practices among older immigrant Asian-Islamic women in the U.S. are explored.
PubMedUsing cultural beliefs and patterns to improve mammography utilization among African-American women: the Witness Project.
127 Citations2000Eric J. Bailey, Deborah O. Erwin +1 more
Focus group data that informed a culturally competent community-based cancer education program for African-American women--the Witness Project revealed a direct relationship between cultural beliefs and patterns with mammography utilization.
Acta OncologicaPatient's and Doctor's Delay in Primary Breast Cancer: Prognostic implications
125 Citations1994Pia Afzelius, Karin Zedeler +3 more
The study suggests that all sources of delays should be kept at a minimum and indicates that doctors are capable of distinguishing between more and less aggressive malignancies.
Social Theory & HealthBeyond Meaning, Discourse and the Empirical World: Critical Realist Reflections on Health
122 Citations2003Simon J. Williams
This paper concludes with some further reflections on the promise and potential of critical realism for health, as an ‘underlabouring philosophy’, and the future agendas it signals.
Health & PlaceThe importance of place of residence in predicting late-stage diagnosis of breast or cervical cancer
118 Citations2004James Barry
Logistic regression found that residence in economically and socially distressed or medically underserved neighborhoods tended to increase the likelihood of late-stage cancer diagnoses, and it was found that not all areas that are economically and social distressed receive the federal MUA designation.
Journal of Clinical OncologyProvider Delay Among Patients With Breast Cancer in Germany: A Population-Based Study
109 Citations2003Volker Arndt, Til Stürmer +4 more
Although the association between delay and tumor stage seems to be complex, any delay in diagnostic work-up is within reasonably short time limits among most patients with breast cancer in Germany.
Social Science & MedicineA family history of breast cancer: women's experiences from a theoretical perspective
97 Citations2001Geraint Rees, Alison Fry +1 more
The potential impact of personal experience on risk perception, illness representations and decision-making is discussed and systematic research in this area may improve predictions of outcome of cancer genetic counselling and inform the clinical process.
European Journal of Cancer PreventionDeterminant factors for diagnostic delay in operable breast cancer patients
94 Citations2001Maurizio Montella, Anna Crispo +7 more
This study suggests that diagnostic delay can be reduced by providing more efficient training programmes for members of the medical profession and by producing educational training programmes targeted specifically at each age category (i.e. in older women more attention to education in prevention; in younger women correct information about mammography and specialized structures).
Social Science & MedicineWorking from the inside out: Implications of breast cancer activism for biomedical policies and practices
93 Citations1997Mary K. Anglin
This essay presents material from an ethnographic study in the United States to explore the ways that women have come forward as informed consumers and activists working to make biomedical practices more responsive to the needs of women with breast cancer.
Cancer NursingInformation needs, uncertainty, and anxiety in women who had a breast biopsy with benign outcome
93 Citations1998Karen Deane, Lesley F. Degner
A retrospective, descriptive study to determine the information needs of women who underwent a breast biopsy with a benign outcome and to ascertain the levels of uncertainty and anxiety they experienced was conducted in two community health care sites in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
British journal of surgeryDiagnostic delay in breast cancer
92 Citations2004Matthew Barber, W Jack +1 more
The frequency, causes and effects of delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer in a specialist breast unit are assessed and important clinical and medicolegal implications are assessed.
Archives of Internal MedicineCauses of Physician Delay in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
91 Citations2002William H. Goodson, Dan H. Moore
Reducing delay in diagnosis will require less willingness to rely on clinical examination to decide that a mass is benign, less reliance on benign mammography reports to decide not to biopsy a mass, and a requirement that fine-needle aspiration biopsy be done by persons with demonstrated competence for the procedure.
International Journal of Health ServicesThe Social Class Determinants of Income Inequality and Social Cohesion
86 Citations1999Carles Muntaner, John Lynch +1 more
The authors argue that Wilkinson's model omits important variables (social class) that make it vulnerable to biases due to model mis-specification and show that working-class position is negatively associated with social cohesion but positively associated with union membership.
PubMedWaiting time for breast cancer surgery in Quebec.
83 Citations2001Nancy E. Mayo, Susan C. Scott +4 more
Waiting time between initial diagnosis and first surgery for breast cancer has increased substantially in Quebec between 1992 and 1998, and possible explanations include increased demand, decreased resources and changes in patterns of care.
PubMedDelay in breast cancer: a review of the literature.
83 Citations1994Lee Caplan, Kathy J. Helzlsouer
It is especially important to do further work to determine the factors associated with long delay so that interventions can be designed to minimize delay and thus permit earlier diagnoses and treatments of breast cancers.
Journal of Clinical EpidemiologyPatient Knowledge, Awareness, and Delay in Seeking Medical Attention for Malignant Melanoma
81 Citations1999Susan A. Oliveria, Paul J. Christos +4 more
The International Journal of Psychiatry in MedicineThe Effects of Major Depression and Phobia on Stage at Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
80 Citations1999Mayur M. Desai, Martha L. Bruce +1 more
Major depression was identified as an important predictor of late-stage diagnosis of breast cancer and proper recognition and management of depression in the primary care setting may have important implications for breast cancer detection and survival.
Choice Reviews OnlineRelations of ruling: class and gender in postindustrial societies
77 Citations1994
PubMedWaiting times from abnormal breast screen to diagnosis in 7 Canadian provinces.
76 Citations2001Ivo A. Olivotto, Christina Bancej +9 more
Improved models of care or dissemination of existing efficient techniques to reach a diagnosis will be needed to ensure that targets for timeliness, adopted nationally in 1999, are realized.
Journal of General Internal MedicineGeographic methods for understanding and responding to disparities in mammography use in Toronto, Canada
73 Citations2004Richard H. Glazier, Maria I. Creatore +5 more
Spatial patterns identified areas with low mammography and low physician visit rates appropriate for outreach and public education interventions appropriate for interventions targeted at physicians.
Patient Education and CounselingSouth Asian womens' views on the causes of breast cancer: images and explanations
72 Citations1999Joy L. Johnson, Joan L. Bottorff +5 more
The taxonomy developed in this study provides a useful framework for understanding the explanations that might underlie women's health-seeking behaviours and for developing culturally suitable counseling strategies.
Cancer PracticeVeiled Yet Vulnerable
71 Citations1999Sandra Millon Underwood, Lubna Shaikha +1 more
This study illustrates the manner and degree to which Islamic beliefs and customs can influence the breast cancer screening behavior of Muslim women and the importance of carefully designing breast health programs tailored to the needs of this population of women.
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and UnderservedLiteracy and Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior About Mammography in Latinas
70 Citations2005Carmen E. Guerra, Megan Krumholz +1 more
It is suggested that Latinas with poor functional health literacy are less likely to undergo mammography, and future research should target increasing the knowledge about and rates of screening mammography in patients with lowfunctional health literacy.
Journal of Clinical EpidemiologySocio-demographic factors, health behavior and late-stage diagnosis of breast cancer in Germany
64 Citations2001Volker Arndt, Til Stürmer +4 more
Certain socio-demographic factors and characteristics of health behavior seem to represent independent risk indicators of late-stage diagnosis in female breast cancer patients in Saarland, Germany.
PubMedRecalled anxiety: from discovery to diagnosis of a benign breast mass.
64 Citations1995Susan Benedict, Williams Rd +1 more
The time between discovery of a breast mass and definitive diagnosis is a time of considerable anxiety for many women and substantial time elapses between discovery and diagnosis, contributing to the possible morbidity associated with severe anxiety.
Psycho-OncologyLow‐income women with early‐stage breast cancer: physician and patient decision‐making styles
64 Citations2001Kristine McVea, William C. Minier +1 more
Annals of SurgeryDelay in Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
61 Citations1999Paul Ian Tartter, David Pace +2 more
Physician delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer is common, and patients with delay are similar to patients without delay, although they are more likely to have normal mammograms, and the consequences of stage at diagnosis, treatment, and outcome were not statistically significant.
Social Science & MedicineDoes stage at diagnosis influence the observed relationship between socioeconomic status and breast cancer incidence, case-fatality, and mortality?
59 Citations2003K. Robin Yabroff, Leon Gordis
PubMedIs it time to stop teaching breast self-examination?
58 Citations2001Larissa Nekhlyudov, Suzanne W. Fletcher
In North America most women are aware of BSE, and about one-third perform the examination regularly, but the majority of primary care physicians report either teaching BSE to.
Journal of General Internal MedicineDifferences in the quality of care for women with an abnormal mammogram or breast complaint
57 Citations2000Jennifer S. Haas, E. Francis Cook +3 more
It is found that a substantial proportion of women with a breast problem managed by generalists did not receive care consistent with a clinical guideline, particularly younger women with an abnormal mammogram and a normal or benign-appearing mammogram.
Social Science & MedicinePerceived breast cancer risk: heuristic reasoning and search for a dominance structure
54 Citations2004Maria C. Katapodi, Noreen C. Facione +2 more
Investigation of interviews from women of diverse ethnic/cultural backgrounds found that trust in health providers led to an inappropriate dependence on the perceived control heuristic and suggested that perceived breast cancer risk is based on common cognitive patterns.
Health Care For Women InternationalOLDER WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: NEW UNDERSTANDINGS THROUGH GROUNDED THEORY RESEARCH
51 Citations2001Dauna Crooks
Qualitative Health ResearchFeeling Healthy: So Why Should Mexican-Descent Women Screen for Breast Cancer?
49 Citations2001Evelinn A. Borrayo, Sharon Rae Jenkins
Analysis of the most prevalent cultural health beliefs led to a discovery that the core problem Mexican-descent women face is that they perceive there is no reason to participate in breast cancer screening when they are “feeling healthy.”
Breast Cancer Research and TreatmentAn Assessment of Delays in Obtaining Definitive Breast Cancer Treatment in Southern Italy
48 Citations2001Maurizio Montella, Anna Crispo +7 more
It is suggested that diagnostic delay is associated with medically underserved status and can be reduced by educating younger and less educated women, as suggested in other studies and by providing training programs for members in the medical profession.
British journal of surgeryIn-hospital delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer
48 Citations2000Deborah Jenner, Anthony W. Middleton +3 more
The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, time trends and causes of delay in a dedicated breast clinic.
Journal of Clinical Nursing‘It's like an explosion in your life…': lay perspectives on stress and myocardial infarction
47 Citations2003Alexander M. Clark
Examination of post-MI patients' views of stress, its functioning and relationship to their MI found that many considered stress as having a more influential role than other risk factors, such as smoking and diet, and placed different weighting on the roles of social, personal and situational factors in contributing to the stressful reaction.
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and UnderservedAttitudes and Beliefs Toward Mammography Among Women Using an Urban Public Hospital
43 Citations1997Beti Thompson, Daniel E. Montaño +3 more
Fear, embarrassment, susceptibility to breast cancer, inconvenience, cost, concerns about efficacy of mammography, fear of acquiring cancer, and scheduling difficulties were identified as important concerns.
The Breast JournalWho's Listening? Experiences of Women with Breast Cancer in Communicating with Physicians
40 Citations2001Susan R. Harris, Edith Templeton
Women's positive experiences with physicians were characterized by communication based on active listening, awareness of the women's knowledge of their illness, honesty, and partnership, and Physicians who showed interest in their patients as persons and who used touch to communicate caring were perceived as supportive communicators.
Qualitative Health ResearchBreast Cancer Detection Among Older Latinas: Is It Worth the Risk?
40 Citations2005Evelinn A. Borrayo, Lydia P. Buki +1 more
A cultural explanatory model was uncovered that explained how cultural and psychosocial dynamics influence BC screening decisions and influenced Latinas’ subjective assessment that detecting BC is too risky, which should influence their participation in screening procedures.
The BreastSocioeconomic status & returning for a second screen in the Ontario breast screening program
39 Citations2003R.K Tatla, Lawrence Paszat +4 more
Low SES women, particularly in urban areas, should be specifically targeted to increase their likelihood of re-attendance for breast cancer screening within an organized program.
Journal of Psychosomatic ResearchDo adverse life events and mood disorders influence delayed presentation of breast cancer?
39 Citations2000Caroline Burgess, Antonio J. Ramírez +2 more
It is suggested that neither adverse life experiences nor mood disorder in the year before symptom discovery increase the risk of patients with symptoms of breast cancer delaying their presentation to a general practitioner.
Perspectives in biology and medicineBeyond EBM: new directions for evidence-based public health
38 Citations2005Wendy McGuire
Critical realism, based on the philosophy of Roy Bhaskar, may provide a way out of the current stalemate, enabling public health researchers from various disciplines and research paradigms to work together, bringing the full weight of scientific knowledge to bear on increasingly complex and global public health problems.
Nursing InquiryRational choice(s)? Rethinking decision‐making on breast cancer risk and screening mammography
38 Citations2003Mandana Vahabi, Denise Gastaldo
The traditional notion of rational behaviour is challenged with qualitative data that people's rationality is influenced by their socio-cultural and political identities, and three major themes are explored, including cultural explanations regarding intention to use screening mammography.
Women s Health IssuesWomen's reasons for and barriers to seeking care for breast cancer symptoms
35 Citations1995Diane Lauver, M. Coyle +1 more
In this sample of predominantly low-income, minimally educated participants, women were motivated to seek care for their breast symptoms to obtain consultations and diagnoses, as well as to deal with their concerns about their symptoms and possible cancer diagnoses.
Journal for the Theory of Social BehaviourWhat is Real and What is Realism in Sociology?
35 Citations1999Roy Nash
Journal of Medical ScreeningResults from the Ontario breast screening program, 1990–1995
35 Citations1998Alyssa R. Libstug, Veronika Moravan +1 more
While the OBSP has achieved the standards suggested by other studies and programmes during its first five years of operation, there is work to be done to increase participation and obtain more complete data on tumour size and nodal status.
Ethnicity and HealthInfluences on Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors in Tamil Immigrant Women 50 Years Old and Over
30 Citations2001Marta Meana, Terry Bunston +3 more
The incentives and barriers to breast cancer screening in a recent immigrant group, older Tamil women from Sri Lanka, are investigated using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework to develop culture-appropriate educational campaigns.
European Journal of Surgical OncologyOperable breast cancer patients with diagnostic delay—oncological and emotional characteristics
22 Citations2004Lars Tjemsland, Jon Arne Søreide
There seems to be an association between aggressiveness of tumour growth, diagnostic delay and emotional control in patients with early stage breast cancer.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*PhysicsPredictors of Delay in Starting Radiation Treatment for Patients with Early Stage Breast Cancer
22 Citations1998V. Benk, Vivian Ho +4 more
More than half of patients with early breast cancer waited more than the recommended intervals for radiation therapy, however, lower income breast cancer patients did not wait longer for treatment than higher income patients, possibly a result of the Canadian Medicare system which provides universal access to health care.
Cancer PracticeMissed Cancer Screening Opportunities Among Older Women
20 Citations1998Elizabeth Gulitz, Marta Bustillo Hernandez +1 more
An analysis of the literature and findings from a qualitative research study as a framework for discussion of potential strategies to increase utilization of breast and cervical cancer screening among older women reveals four emergent themes of patient, provider, office, and access barriers that contribute to underutilization of screening.
Health Education ResearchOlder women's illness representations of cancer: a qualitative study
19 Citations1998Sharon A. Savage, Valerie A. Clarke
Older women's own beliefs, or illness representations, of cancer and cancer screening in relation to breast cancer and cervical cancer were explored using relatively unstructured, face-to-face interviews.
PubMedScreening mammography in the elderly: a review of the issues.
17 Citations2003Monica E. Peek
Research supports continued screening with mammography for elderly women as long as their health is not significantly compromised by comorbid illness, and most organizational guidelines support screening mammography in healthy elderly women.
BMJPress: The great American mammography debate
10 Citations2002F. Charatan
Mammography has been so strongly endorsed by the cancer establishment, and has become such a significant source of revenue for many hospitals and doctors, that it may be difficult to excise, according to the PDQ board.
…
